Residents in B.C.'s Okanagan remain on high alert Friday as the region braces for what could be the worst flooding there in decades.

Emergency officials cheered "almost like a hockey game" when a severe storm spared Kelowna overnight, but they know that any rain has the potential to make the situation much worse.

There were no weather alerts for the city on Friday afternoon, but there is a chance of thunderstorms in Environment Canada's forecast on Friday and Saturday. 

"If we get a thunderstorm tonight we could easily have a break anywhere in this region that could cause localized damage," said Ron Mattisui from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre (CORD).

Rivers and lakes are already at maximum capacity and hundreds of people in the Kelowna area remain on evacuation alert.

CORD says the alert could last for several weeks because of spring runoff combined with a melting snowpack. City staff said the area may see three or four more rounds of flooding, and estimate the flood risk could last until July.

"We could see what happened this week happening again and again for the next few weeks, so we're not resting easy," Mattisui said.

"We dodged this bullet but we can't really come out of the bunker yet."

For now, residents are being told to be ready to leave within a moment's notice. Those living near Okanagan Lake are the most at-risk, where water levels are rising about four centimetres a day, officials said.

The lake is already seven centimetres above full pool, CORD said in a statement.

"We have been told to sandbag three feet above with an additional foot for waves," resident Dale Mayer told CTV News.

Rob Davis, who also lives in Kelowna, said his home flooded earlier this week. They're stocking up on sandbags in effort to prevent a second flood.

"We just don't want it to happen again," he said.

"We woke up a few times overnight just to check and it was all good. Hopefully it will stop."

Davis said he'd helped sandbag the end of his street (Burne Avenue) last weekend and didn't think floodwaters would make it to his home. His basement started flooding within an hour.

"It's scary that way. It's supposed to be extreme thunderstorms coming, so we'll try to get as much done as we can early, and go help out other people where we can."

While some are dealing with flooded basements, others are dealing with shin-deep water above ground.

Some living in the Ellison Lake area were permitted to return on Friday to retrieve their belongings, and found they had to wade through several inches of muddy water to reach their homes. Those closest to the lake suffered the most damage.

Those in Merritt are facing a similar situation, where boats have replaced cars on normally busy roads near the Nicola River. A record snowpack is quickly melting, causing the Nicola and other bodies of water in the area to spill over their banks.

The Nicola River and its upstream tributaries are on a list of several that fall under provincial flood watches. 

CORD released projection maps Friday that predict regions that are at risk of flooding.

Flood watches are also in effect in the Bulkley River and the Peace region, with concerns that weekends rains will make the situation even more dire.

The province is stepping in, sending more than 100 firefighters to the area to help with sandbags. The government is also sending in eight kilometres worth of portable aquadams – piece of inflatable plastic that act as a flood barrier.

The dam is expected to arrive on Saturday.

Other crews are working to build a dike along Mission Creek, and channels near Bellevue Creek to divert the excess water. Log jams and culverts are being cleared, sandbags are being restocked, and affected areas are being monitored by air and on land.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith