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Flood warnings issued for 3 rivers in B.C. Interior

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The B.C. River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings for three rivers in the province's Interior near the already-flood-damaged City of Merritt.

The warnings are for the Tulameen, Coldwater and Lower Nicola rivers. A flood watch is in effect for the nearby Similkameen River,

"Temperatures increased during the storm event and likely contributed to snowmelt at mid‐elevations and rain‐on‐snow runoff," the centre said in a statement Sunday evening.

"Rivers have risen quickly but are not expected to reach the levels from the Nov. 13‐15 event."

Despite this, the river forecast centre says the affected rivers "still may cause significant flooding."

Earlier in the day, Merritt advised all residents in areas of the city under evacuation orders to leave. The city had been allowing some residents to access their properties during the day, despite the evacuation orders. Those residents will not be allowed to return until further notice. 

According to the river forecast centre, the Coldwater River was flowing at 138 cubic metres per second, and rising, at the time the flood warning was issued. That's a "50-year flow" on the river, the centre said.

Other stations mentioned in the centre's statement showed rivers at 10-year flows or lower.

"The public is advised to stay clear of the fast‐flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks during the high‐streamflow period," the forecast centre said.

Flood warnings are issued when river levels have exceeded bankfull or will do so imminently. Flood watches are issued when river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed bankfull. 

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