A flood watch continues to be in effect for the Chilcotin region including the Chilcotin River and its tributaries.
BC River Forecast Centre Hydrologist, Jonathon Boyd said usually when we’re into July the rivers are dropping to fairly low levels and starting to warm up due to the warm temperatures but it’s the opposite this year.
He said the rivers are running high and temperatures are still pretty cold because of the melted snow and the flow itself is so high.
“Public safety is our main concern. So the big risk is anyone, whether they’re recreating in rivers, creeks, or lakes, or just potentially being near them, the side banks could be unstable and eroding without knowing because of the high flows,” Boyd said.
Boyd noted that the Chilcotin is an area that tends to be a little bit more delayed in terms of snow melt compared to some other areas of the Province because the mountain ranges face Northerly so there’s a slight delay in the melt there.
According to the BC River Forecast Centre, flow forecasts for the next few days indicate the potential for further rises, the magnitude of which will depend on how much rain falls, however, current flow forecasts do indicate the potential for flows to rise into this week, potentially above 10-year return period flows.
A Flood Watch means that river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed bankfull, flooding of areas adjacent to affected rivers may occur.