The River Forecast Centre has issued a flood warning for the Quesnel River.
It is maintaining a flood watch for the Thompson River from Kamloops to Spences Bridge; Shuswap Region including South Thompson River tributaries (Seymour River, Eagle River, Adams River, Shuswap River and surrounding tributaries and lakes); South Thompson River; North Thompson River including tributaries around Barriere, Clearwater and Blue River; other tributaries in the Cariboo Mountains west of Quesnel.
The River Forecast Centre is maintaining a high streamflow advisory for the Nicola River.
Rivers in the region are flowing very high for this time year and are extremely vulnerable to a additional runoff at this point. A potential long-lasting rain event in the headwaters of the South Thompson, North Thompson and Cariboo Mountains is underway and expected to last into early Thursday. Uncertainty remains high for rainfall totals and spatial extent, with current forecasts indicating the highest rainfall amounts (40+mm) being focused in areas of the North Thompson, South Thompson, Cariboo Mountains and Upper Columbia watersheds.
Over the past 24 hours, 10-20mm of rainfall has already been observed in areas of the Cariboo Mountains, and rivers are beginning to experience rapid rises. There continues to be risks of significant flooding through the region from this rainfall event.
Warming temperatures over the weekend and into next week will lead to accelerated snowmelt rates where snow remains, however there remains uncertainty over the extent to which the available remaining snowpack will be able to fuel significant additional rises to rivers next week. At present, the key weather of concern for flooding in the region is the immediate rainfall pattern today to Thursday.
The public is advised to stay clear of the fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks during the high-streamflow period. Be prepared and know your hazards. The River Forecast Centre continues to monitor the conditions and will provide updates as
conditions warrant.
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