Despite heavy rain in and around Edmonton overnight and into Wednesday, Epcor says it is not seeing any significant flooding issues in the city.
In an emailed statement late Tuesday morning, the utility company said its crews are responding to minor calls throughout Edmonton, but no significant issues have arisen yet due to the heavy rainfall.
A spokesperson for Epcor said there was flooding on the Quesnell Bridge, but that was due to debris blocking a catch basin, which has since been cleared.
“We don’t have any reports of flooding on the Yellowhead, but the construction happening there is likely a contributing factor to minor roadway flooding.
Crews have been down Yellowhead and haven’t identified any issues related to flooding. Crews are dispatched when we receive reports of flooding or ponding and at this time there are no significant issues we are responding to,” the company said in a statement.
The rain started to fall in the capital region on Monday evening. As of about 11 a.m. Wednesday, anywhere from 27 to 43 millimetres of rain had fallen in Edmonton, depending on where you’re located.
Kyle Fougere, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said a slow-moving low-pressure system is bringing a large band of rain to Edmonton and surrounding areas.
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“It’s not uncommon for us to see these slow-moving low-pressure systems that we call cold lows that can bring quite a bit of precipitation — usually in the form of rain — just because they are so slow moving and you have a lot of residence time as it sits over the province,” he said.
“It’s been significantly worse as you move to the southwest of the province. So the Drayton Valley area has had about 50 mm so far. As you get to the Foothills we’re seeing some really high amounts, especially down near Calgary where amounts have exceeded 100 mm so far.”
Fougere said the current system will bring lower-than-average temperatures and rain for the next couple of days before easing up. Another system is expected to bring more rain to the Edmonton region over the weekend, although not as much as this system, Fougere said.
“We do see a fair amount of precipitation in June and these storms can move through, so it’s unlikely that we’re done with this after this system moves out,” he said.
June is the second-wettest month for Edmonton, according to Fougere. Typically, the city averages about 73 mm of rain in June. July is the wettest month with about 96 mm of rain, he explained.
Provincial officials held a news conference Monday afternoon to speak about the potential for flooding in the province, particularly down south where upwards of 150 mm of rain is expected in some regions by Wednesday.
Lisa Jackson, executive director of the province’s environmental emergency management branch, said while she didn’t have any information specific to Edmonton, she did not expect any concerns with the water level on the North Saskatchewan River.
“It looks like the system is staying to the south so we don’t have information or concerns about that at the moment,” Jackson said.
Epcor customers who do experience flooding can call 780-412-4500 to report any issues.
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