Evacuation alerts are in place in Lake Country as the region braces for possible historic flooding Thursday.
Global BC meteorologist Mark Madryga says the moist flow of air is sliding across the Southern Interior this morning. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to hit the region today and tonight, with more rain on the way Friday.
Between 15 and 25 millimetres of rain is expected to fall over the next 36 hours in the area, which has already been hit with heavy rain and flooding.
“The ground is saturated so if we get another rain event through and with the ground being saturated, the water has nowhere to go,” said Steve Windsor, Lake Country fire chief.
Madryga says more rain could fall due to the severe thunderstorm watch in place for the region.
Flooding is a huge concern for homeowners in the area.
“What we are expecting to see is unprecedented water levels as a result of rain, rising temperatures and melting snowpack,” said Brian Reardon, the Emergency Operations Centre director, adding this would create “a perfect storm.”
Residents have been sandbagging around their homes and another 100 B.C. wildfire crews are heading to Kelowna to help.
“It’s projecting we will be eclipsing the worst storm on record back in 1997, this year in 2017,” said Reardon.
A number of homes in the Quilchena region have already been evacuated and 50 homes are on evacuation alert.
There are also a number of evacuation alerts in Lake Country at this time:
The alert affects approximately 580 properties in the area of:
- Beaver Lake Road from Main Street to Bottom Wood Lake Road
- 3193 Hill Road (Kangaroo Creek Farm)
- Konschuh Road – all
- Bottom Wood Lake Road from Berry Road to Lodge Road
- Lodge Road from roundabout to Meadow Road
- Meadow Road – all
- Powley Court – all
- Taiji Court – all
- Bottom Wood Lake Road – all the way to Wood Lake
- Brun Road – all
- Rolyat Road – all
- Redecopp Road & Court – all
- Reiswig Road – all
- Jeider Street – all
- Woodsdale Road from the Rail Trail through to Woodsdale Court
- Clement Road – all
- Rogers Road – all
- Seymour Road – all
- Turtle Bay Court – all
- 2930 Woodsdale Road (Woodlake RV Park and Marina)
- 2850 Woodsdale Road (Turtle Bay Pub)
- 11871 Hwy 97
Residents in this area should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice should conditions along creeks worsen.
Officials estimate as many as 3,000 people could be forced from their homes if the water levels continue to rise. They are asking residents to help each other and do whatever they can to help save homes.
The unstable ground could cause landslides as well, so officials are asking residents to have 72 hours worth of supplies with them in case they get cut off from main roads and other homes.
Pockets of heavy rain rolling through the Southern Interior right now!
Track the rain near you with our interactive Radar Map. Real-time radar map here: http://globalnews.ca/bc/weather/CAXX0518
You can also find this real time radar map on our Skytracker Weather App. Download it on Andrord, Ipad or Iphone right now to track the rain near you.