VANCOUVER — Parts of British Columbia's Interior remain under a flood watch as a spell of warm weather over the weekend melted snow and rain is in the forecast in some communities.
The River Forecast Centre says the Nazko and West Road rivers in south-central B.C. remain under flood watch, with the rising water creating a danger that it could spill over its banks.
The Lower Thompson River basin west of Kamloops also has an active flood watch, and the Village of Cache Creek about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver has declared a state of local emergency.
On Sunday, Cache Creek issued an evacuation order for one property on the Trans-Canada Highway because of the flood risk.
Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta says floodwater was surging over one street during the weekend, and the village declared a state of emergency in order to issue the evacuation order for the one property threatened by rising waters.
Ranta says the situation has improved since, with local rivers and streams dropping in water level, but the town remains on watch because "a rain event could change things dramatically."
"It remains to be seen what the weather does," Ranta says about potentially lifting the state of local emergency.
The province warned last week that warming temperatures would increase the likelihood of rising water levels, with the highest risk associated with mid-elevation river systems throughout much of the central Interior region.
Environment Canada says several Interior communities in B.C. will see rain Monday after the recent heat that set new temperature records on Friday and Saturday, including Kamloops where it came close to 32 degrees.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2023.
The Canadian Press
