Calgary rainfall warning ends

After days of heavy rain and concerns that water from the Elbow and Bow rivers could overflow, Calgary’s rainfall warning has ended.

The City says the Elbow River has reached its peak flow. Meanwhile, the Bow River is expected to crest Wednesday afternoon, however, circumstances can change at a moment’s notice if Calgary gets more bad weather.

Environment Canada says there is a 30 per cent chance of showers early Wednesday evening.

An advisory against boating on the Bow and Elbow rivers is still in place. The City says it will remain in effect until river levels recede to safe amounts. The Calgary Fire Department Aquatics Team is monitoring the rivers, adding it will share any changes.

Along with the boating advisory, Calgary has closed Rideau Park, Bowness Park, St. Patrick’s Island and Prince’s Island Park.

“While we received less precipitation than expected we want to remind Calgarians to stay off the river and continue to exercise caution while the State of Local Emergency is in place,” said Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Sue Henry. “The flood resiliency planning and mitigations undertaken since 2013 have continued to support our response to this weather event.”

The City adds while Calgary was lucky, some of the precipitation in the mountains turned out to be snow instead of rain. The ground is still highly saturated and the rivers are still in their high flow season.

Calgary implemented multiple flood mitigation strategies to deal with the possible overflow of the Bow and Elbow rivers, such as constructing temporary berms in certain areas of the city.

A completed temporary berm in Sunnyside. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews Photo)

Roads in the city are still safe to drive on, however, Calgarians are asked to stay alert and watch for pooling in low-lying areas.

Since Monday, Calgary recorded 70–80 millimetre of rain, although some areas’ precipitation received up to 100 millimetre. Initially, the weather agency said there was a possibility of up to 125 millimetre in some parts of the city.

The Calgary Airport also set an all-time record of 34.3 millimetres compared to 33.4 recorded in 1992 for Tuesday’s rainfall.

Environment Canada says winds of up to 90 km/h hit the city on Tuesday, and the City says it’s expecting 70 km/h winds Wednesday.

Over the past few days, Calgary reported several power outages and trees that were knocked over because of the extreme weather conditions.

To report a tree that is blocking a roadway or on City property, report it at calgary.ca/311. If the tree has fallen on a power line, call the Enmax Power Trouble Line at 403-514-6100, if you see sparks or fire, call 911.

The City of Calgary declared a state of emergency on Monday that was set to last for 14 days and will remain in place until further notice.

Calgary also has some tips to keep your home flood-ready in case of an emergency:

• Move valuables and documents out of your basement as basement seepage is possible in river communities in lower-lying areas
• If you have a sump pump or backflow valve, ensure it’s working.
• Citizens should make sure to clean debris from eavestroughs, so they don’t overflow with water and seep into basements.
• Point downspouts away from homes onto grassy areas so water soaks into the ground.

For more information, you can visit the City’s website.