An avalanche in the Duffy Lake area north of Whistler closed a section of Highway 99 on Thursday evening, and served an early warning that British Columbia backcountry hikers face significant risks while travelling this weekend.
That warning has been echoed by the Canadian Avalanche Centre, which is also telling backcountry travellers in Alberta to be vigilant.
News of the Duffy Lake avalanche comes amid concerns that shifting temperatures will continue to push water levels higher in the province's rivers, streams and creeks, posing a potential threat to inhabitants of low lying areas.
The B.C. Environment Ministry said campers and backcountry explorers should use caution around the banks of rivers and other bodies of water because they can become unstable. It also said children and pets should be kept away.
Anyone exploring in the backcountry is advised tell friends or family where they are going and when they plan to return. They are also asked to check bridges before crossing and avoid using any that seem unstable. Campers are warned against setting up their tents beside rivers.
The forecast of daytime temperatures of up to 30 degrees Celsius, or higher in some parts of the province, are a dramatic shift from the record-breaking cold temperatures of April and early May.
It comes after residents in the B.C. Interior and North Coast have been told to anticipate some minor flooding in low-lying areas is possible.
But no major flooding is expected.
The south and central Interior has the highest risk of flooding, including East and West Kootenays, the Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola & Coldwater valleys, North and South Thompson basins, Shuswap, and others.
In the Interior, the cold weather has left snowpacks above normal for mid-May, causing a three-week delay in the spring snowmelt period. The expected high temperatures will cause a rapid snow melt in much of the region, according to the B.C. Ministry of Environment's River Forecast Centre.
The forecast for the North Coast predicts heavy rainfall to Prince Rupert on Vancouver Island, and as much as 100 to 140 millimetres of rain along coastal sections of the area. Terrace and Kitimat will also likely see a heavy rainfall.
The region has above-normal snowpacks for this time of year, and the combination of the snowmelt and heavy rainfall could cause water levels on the coastal and inland sections, including the Bear River at Stewart, and rivers in the Kitimat-Terrace-Stewart corridor, to rise overnight, Thursday and into Friday.
For updates on changing conditions, see the B.C. Ministry of Environment River Forecast Centre.
