Forecasters warn of floods, rain

A flood watch has been issued for the east Okanagan Valley, including Mission Creek in Kelowna and creeks in the Penticton and Vernon areas.

Quickening snowmelt caused by rising temperatures along with a forecast for significant thundershowers this weekend has raised the chance of creeks overtopping their banks, the provincial government warned in a Friday afternoon advisory.

The flood watch extends throughout the B.C. Southern Interior to include the Boundary Region, Kettle, Tulameen and Similkameen river systems.

“A low pressure system is expected to impact the B.C. Interior, bringing unsettled weather and repeated periods of moderate to heavy rainfall across the region into the weekend,” the River Forecast Centre said.

“Currently, the heaviest rainfall is expected to fall over the Monashee Mountains, areas east of the Okanagan Valley, and into the Boundary region, with high-range precipitation amounts of 50 millimetres through Friday and Saturday, with 15 mm of rainfall expected through most areas,” the advisory states.

People are advised to stay clear of fast-flowing rivers and streams, as the banks are potentially waterlogged and unstable.

On Friday afternoon, the flow in Mission Creek — Okanagan Lake’s largest source — was headed toward 32 cubic metres per second. That’s up from 25 cubic metres per second a few days ago, but still well below the range of 60 cubic metres per second when concerns about localized flooding along the waterway generally develop.

The flow can increase quickly, however, as it did in a 24-hour period between May 27 and May 28, when it jumped to 33 cubic metres from 24, before subsiding again almost as quickly.

Because of already soggy conditions, the City of Vernon on Friday closed all its sports fields and ball diamonds; however, a release indicated the fields were expected to re-open Saturday. User groups should check with the city’s website for the current status.