With all of Southern Alberta under a yellow rainfall warning, some areas west of Calgary were put under a flood watch on Sunday.
Water level on the Elbow River upstream of the city could rise as much as 1.5 to 2.4 metres, according to Alberta Environment and Parks, with peak flows are forecast between 150 to 240 cubic metres per second.
“Based on provincial flood mapping, there may be impacts at Glencoe Golf Course,” said a flood advisory issued Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Calgary warned of high streamflows on the Bow and Elbow rivers within the city.
Boating is no longer allowed and pathway closures are to be expected with rising water levels, the city said.
“We are not expecting overbank river flooding in Calgary, although that can change relatively quickly,” Mayor Jeromy Farkas said in a video posted to social media Sunday evening, adding that officials continue to monitor rain accumulations in Calgary and areas upstream.
“Glenmore Reservoir has been drawn down in advance and has enough capacity to capture the forecast runoff from the Elbow River,” Farkas also said.
The city is also co-ordinating efforts with the province and TransAlta to manage flows on the Bow and Elbow rivers, he added.
The river advisories follow Environment Canada’s rainfall warning issued Saturday afternoon, forecasting between 50 and 100 millimetres through Tuesday morning.
Periods of rain are expected to be heavier rainfall through the evening and overnight, said Environment Canada operational meteorologist Eric Van Lochem.
Weak bands of thunderstorms are also expected to travel across Calgary Sunday evening, Van Lochem said.
Rafters enjoy a float despite the high waters on the Bow River in Calgary on Saturday.
So far this month, Calgary has seen lower-than-average rainfall at around 65 millimetres, though forecasted rainfall in the coming days could bring the monthly total up to the June average of 112.5 millimetres.
“That’s somewhat conjecture at this time, but certainly, if you go by the current forecast, we’ll get pretty close to that,” Van Lochem said.
Meanwhile, further north, parts of central Alberta are under an orange warning for rainfall, with many communities bracing for potential flooding.
Edmonton has seen 242.5 millimetres so far this month, making it the city’s rainiest June ever recorded, and the second-rainiest month ever recorded.
The all-time record was 282 millimetres in one month, and Van Lochem said there’s potential for that record to be broken before the month ends, with 40 to 70 millimetres anticipated through the weekend.
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