Stay safe around rivers this weekend

Beat the heat, but be safe while doing so.

That’s the message from the B.C. Forecast Centre as Vernon and area residents consider loading up their vehicles and spending the day by the river when the summer’s first heat wave hits the Okanagan Saturday.

Dave Campbell, the head of the River Forecast Centre, told Vernon Matters that rivers and streams in the area are seeing high water levels and fast flows.

“They’re unusually high and not the type of thing we usually see this time of year, a lot of the flows are at least 50 per cent higher, if not double, what they usually would be,” said Campbell.

“Rivers are fast moving, there still will be that daily dynamic with the snowmelt, so there’s particular concerns with people out in more remote areas, resource roads and that sort of thing, that could be subject to impacts and erosion during high flow events.”

Campbell cautions people to be aware of the weather forecast, be aware of where they’re going, and to use caution around rivers.

“Banks can be unstable at this time of year, even if it’s not flood conditions, certainly the flows can be high.”

The upcoming heat wave is expected to cause the rivers to also swell a bit, as snowpacks in the mountain will be melting at a faster rate.

“We’re in the midst of the peak of the snowmelt cycle for the province, so we’re seeing flows, really across the province, but particularly in the bigger rivers draining from the high mountain terrain in the Interior, are kind of reaching their peak levels for the year,” said Campbell.

“So the rivers are quite full, and we’re coming into a fairly hot spell this weekend and that’s certainly going to accelerate snowmelt rates.”

He noted that there’s not that much snow left in the upper elevations, and barring any heavy precipitation, does not expect any of the Flood Watches in the North Okanagan to turn into Flood Warnings during the heat wave.

However, he does still advise people take action to prepare themselves and their homes for localized flooding events.

“I think being aware of risks is really important, so people who are in flood-prone areas [should be] aware that risk is there and plan ahead, [like preparing] a grab-and-go kit with the necessities that one would need like medication or paperwork.”

More details on how to prepare for flooding events can be seen at the Prepared B.C. website.

Area residents are also encouraged to pay attention to local governments and First Nations as they are in charge of putting out evacuation and emergency alerts or orders.