The River Forecast Centre is upgrading to a flood watch for the Upper Fraser River and tributaries upstream of Prince George including the McGregor River, Willow River, Bowron River and surrounding tributaries.
A flood watch means river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed the banks where flooding of areas adjacent to affected rivers may occur.
Because of flooding a number of parks in Prince George have also been closed including Paddlewheel Park, Cottonwood Island Park, and the Heritage River Trail from Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park at Taylor Drive to Cottonwood Island Park.
Due to flooding the following are closed:
— City of Prince George (@CityofPG) May 7, 2023
Paddlewheel Park closed
Cottonwood Island closed
Heritage River Trail closed from LTMP at Taylor Drive to Cottonwood Island Park #CityOfPG pic.twitter.com/iAmrSV30F3
The River Forecast Centre is also maintaining a flood watch for the Middle Fraser including the Cariboo mountains and tributaries east of Quesnel including the Quesnel River and surrounding areas.
Whereas there is a high streamflow advisory for the north interior including the upper Fraser watershed plateau areas around Prince George including Chilako River, Chuchinka River, Salmon River and surrounding areas.
The centre says an upper trough pattern persists this weekend and into early next week. Shower activities will continue under this pattern.
For this weekend in the B.C. interior, the areas receiving heavier rainfall amounts will be determined by the location of the surface low, enhancing the uplifting mechanism and giving more rain.
Areas at risk of heavier rain include the Cariboo Mountains and Rocky Mountains in the Upper Fraser River watershed.
The public is advised:
- River levels are rising or expected to rise rapidly. Being near these riverbanks, creeks and fastflowing bodies of water is dangerous:
- Stay clear of fast-flowing rivers and potentially unstable riverbanks
- Avoid recreational activities such as fishing, swimming, boating or hiking near high streamflow rivers or streams
- Remember, high streamflow can easily trap strong swimmers, increasing risk of drownin
Understand the risks and get prepared by visiting www.PreparedBC/floods. For emergency information and related resources, go to: www.EmergencyInfoBC.ca
