Freezing rain has started to hit Princeton, B.C., prompting Environment Canada to issue a warning.
The national weather agency said the freezing rain is expected to continue through to the afternoon Tuesday but temperatures are expected to rise to above freezing as the day wears on. Showers are expected to follow.
Freezing rain was flagged as an issue for motorists but it’s also something the town has been preparing for over the last several days.
In a statement on the Town of Princeton Facebook page, Mayor Spencer Coyne said rain in both the town and mountain passes could create an increase in water levels in the river.
“We are monitoring this very closely,” Coyne said.
“We are concerned due to the snowpack levels, and any warming trend takes place this time of year, with a rain event on top of it that we could see the river go up.”
He said the town’s public works staff were planning to be out throughout the weekend working on snow removal and he asked residents to try to monitor their storm drains and storm catch basins in front of their properties.
“If you see them clogging up or covered with snow please, please help us by just going out there and removing the snow,” he said.
Princeton residents have been dealing with flooding since November 2021, when the Tulameen breached its banks during a storm and water rose to unprecedented levels.