Some North Okanagan residents are getting a reprieve from the flood threat as creek levels decrease, but high temperatures in the forecast mean waterways could surge again.
In Lumby, Duteau Creek and Bessette Creek have both dropped slightly, according to the village’s chief administrative officer Tom Kadla.
It’s a similar story in Armstrong where the city was able to lift its flood watch on Monday.
“Water levels peaked on Friday into Saturday and we’ve seen significant drops of 30 cm on Meighan Creek and 8 cm on Deep Creek,” said Armstrong’s emergency program coordinator Warren Smith.
That’s good news because, during the weekend peak, some water was spilling into low-lying areas.
However, that surge wasn’t high enough to flood any infrastructure.
“We are looking at it as a temporary sigh of relief. We know we’ve got warming temperatures that are coming later in the week and still-existing snow pack within our high-level watershed, so we are expecting that we will see an increase in water in the coming days,” said Smith.
Both communities are telling residents to remain prepared as the freshet continues.