High River residents warned to avoid waterway
CALGARY — With heavy rainfall forecast for the long weekend, officials in High River, Alta., issued a rainfall advisory Friday morning, warning residents to steer clear of the Highwood River.
A low-pressure system from British Columbia is expected to produce heavy rain over the Alberta foothills starting Saturday, persisting through the weekend before tapering off Monday, according to Environment Canada.
“Yup, you guessed it. May long weekend + Alberta = heavy rain,” Environment Canada posted on its website Friday morning.
Forecasters said there is some uncertainty in tracking the system and where the heaviest rain will fall.
Environment Canada is currently predicting an accumulation of 30 to 100 millimetres from Airdrie, northwest to Grande Cache in the west-central part of the province. The heaviest rain is expected in the Nordegg and Rocky Mountain House regions.
Other areas, including Calgary, High River, Okotoks and Claresholm could see 25 to 50 millimetres of rain by Monday evening, with possible snowfall in higher elevations in the mountain parks.
High River said the rainfall could push the flow rate of the Highwood River to 126 cubic metres per second.
Parts of the town have historically experienced some flooding when river flow reaches roughly 250 cubic metres per second.
The town is advising people to stay off the river and away from the riverbanks.
“We know the rivers run high during the spring and we normally put out a streamflow advisory,” said Joan Botkin, spokeswoman for High River.
“Simply because the riverbanks get slippery, the water is really dirty and moving fast, and it’s more dangerous for people to be playing around the river,” she added.
Residents should check sump pumps in their homes, ensure downspouts and eavestroughs are directing water away from their properties, and move valuables from their basements.
Botkin urged people to register for alerts through High River’s website and check the town’s Twitter feed and Facebook page.