Environment Canada issues rainfall warnings, special statement for B.C., and Alberta

Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings and a special weather statement for a swath of Alberta and British Columbia.

The weather agency says between 50 millimetres and 100 millimetres of rain is set to pour from Saturday until Wednesday from Fort McMurray in Alberta’s northeast to Lethbridge in the south.

It says water will likely pool on roads and locals should look out for washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.

In B.C., the agency says in a special weather statement that up to 80 millimetres of rainfall will pour over the roughly next five days in the province’s southeastern Kootenay region.

“A potent Alberta low pressure system will bring moderate to heavy rain to southeastern B.C. this weekend and into early next week,” the Saturday statement said.

“Currently, there is still uncertainty associated with the exact track of this system, and rainfall amounts will vary greatly across southeastern B.C. …There is an elevated risk of flooding, landslides and washouts from heavy rain, and rain on snow in the mountains.”

The B.C. government says in a social media post that multiple communities in the region are under an evacuation alert.

“High water levels can pose a threat to life & safety. Impacted residents must be ready to leave on short notice,” the post said.

A number of rivers in the region as well as in surrounding areas are also under flood warnings and watches.

Back in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith told her provincewide radio show on Saturday that her government is ready to help communities facing flood risk, which she says isn’t at the same level as it was in 2013.

Thousands of people across southern Alberta had to leave their homes and hundreds of buildings were affected due to significant flooding that year.

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