A thunderstorm brought rain and hail to Kamloops on Friday afternoon, June 3, 2022.
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June 03, 2022 - 4:31 PM
For the second day in a week, a thunderstorm rolled through Kamloops.
On Tuesday, a storm brought wind, lightning and a mix of hail and rain, with another storm rolling throw the region this afternoon, June 3.
The rain from the storm will add to the Thompson River, which is expected to reach flooding levels this month.
On Tuesday, May 31, the snowpack levels for both the North and South Thompson rivers were well above average, and a cool spring meant the mountain snow was melting slower than normal.
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North Thompson tributaries were at 142% of normal snow levels, while the South was at 113% but those measurements were less reliable, according to Greg Wightman of the City of Kamloops.
The Thompson River is predicted to have a "significant" flood risk, largely because the snow melt is coming four weeks later than average, he said.
"Take advantage of the next couple weeks while we still have relatively low waters and get prepared for this, because it's going to be a bad year," Wightman told council on Tuesday.
The City has sand and sandbags available at various locations already for residents to prepare.
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Environment Canada measures Thompson River levels under Overlanders Bridge, which has risen by more than a metre to 5.6 metres since May 17.
Wightman said Kamloops could see a similar one-in-twenty-year flooding event similar to what was experienced in 1999. In that year, the highest river measurement was more than nine metres, according to Environment Canada.
He said two factors that could force a flood in Kamloops would be snowmelt coinciding for both rivers, combining at the confluence, and the other would be a rain of around 30 millimetres.
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On Tuesday, Kamloops had about seven millimetres of rain, according to Environment Canada. It registered less than 30 millimetres in the month of May.
Environment Canada does not yet have data measuring the afternoon's rain.
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