Mission Creek in Kelowna.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

Flood warnings and high streamflow advisories were issued at 6 a.m. today, July 4, for Okanagan and Similkameen creeks and rivers.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre is also maintaining the flood watch for the South Thompson and North Thompson rivers first issued, June 27.

The flood watch for Kelowna’s Mission Creek was upgraded to a warning this morning while high streamflow advisories continue for the Similkameen River and tributaries and Okanagan tributaries, as wells as into the Kootenays.

“A period of unsettled weather is occurring across southern British Columbia,” the warning advises. “Rainfall amounts in the five to 35 millimetre range have been observed throughout the region since yesterday. On Monday, an upper low is expected to track across southwest B.C., bringing wrap-around precipitation with the potential for heavier rainfall and thundershowers to areas in the Southern Interior and Kootenays.”

Flows in Mission Creek increased rapidly overnight. Current flows were reported at 56 cubic metres per second but, depending on rainfall, those could almost double to 80-100 cubic metres per second.

The expected rain prompted the District of Sicamous to issue its fourth evacuation alert since May for the Sicamous Creek Mobile Home Park where 27 properties could be affected by mudflows from an unstable hillside above the homes.

Elsewhere, the River Forecast Centre replaced a flood watch for the upper Fraser River with a high streamflow advisory as conditions around Prince George ease, but watches are still posted for the Nechako, Thompson and South Thompson rivers, while a flood warning is still up for the Quesnel River east of Williams Lake.

All major cities in the Thompson-Okanagan region had significant rainfall yesterday, with Vernon being the hardest hit with 20 mm. Kelowna recorded 7.4 mm, Kamloops 6.7 mm and Penticton 7.3 mm.

The forecast for the Okanagan calls for showers and possible thunderstorms with rainfall of five to 10 mm today. There could be some clearing tomorrow but a risk of afternoon thunderstorms.

Highs today are expected to be around 20 Celsius and 24 C tomorrow.

For Kamloops, the forecast is also for showers with a risk of thunderstorms but slightly warmer with highs today expected to be 23 C and 25 C tomorrow.

The rest of the week shows a drying trend with a mix of sun and cloud with temperatures reaching the mid to high 20s.

Normal high temperatures for this time of year are around 27 C.

— With files from The Canadian Press

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