The City of Kamloops is preparing for a drastic spike in river levels on the North and South Thompson rivers.

Utility Services Manager, Greg Wightman, says the City’s emergency operations centre – which was activated yesterday as a precaution – will likely remain active for several weeks.

“The kind of worst case scenario that we’ve been speaking about for a while, kind of the North and South [Thompson] peaking at the same time is becoming more and more a possibility here,” he said Tuesday. “So we are expecting high water but everything is going to be dependent on rain right now, and severe rain storms.”

“There is the possibility of the North Thompson peaking around Friday or Saturday, and the South Thompson potentially peaking towards the end of the weekend or early next week. That synchronization of the peaks looks like its going to happen this year, and it is just going to be a matter of how high those peaks are.”

Both Environment Canada and the BC River Forecast Centre say to expect heavy rain the North and possibly the South Thompson headwaters this week. Wightman says predictions show that between 50 and 80 millimetres of rain could fall over the North Thompson.

He notes if it were to occur, the river could rise another metre and a half.

“Best case scenario, those rainstorms don’t happen and the rivers will likely stay similar levels to what they are right now,” Wightman said.

“It’s going to be a really concerning couple days ahead, we’re going to do everything we can to keep an eye on weather forecasts and stay in contact with all the emergency management partners that we have.”

The City of Kamloops could still see a level of flooding similar to 1999, which is noted on the flood monument at Riverside Park. That said, Wightman noted the City is prepared to protect itself to a 1972 flood event as a precaution. Back then a dike along the North Thompson failed, which sent flood waters raging into the Oak Dale Trailer Park in Westsyde.

“1972 is not out of the question with some of the rainstorms that we have projected. But we’re preparing right now to protect ourselves to what we saw in 1972, just to make sure that we’re as prepared as possible,” Wightman said, noting the City is better prepared now that it was 50 years ago.

People in Kamloops are still being urged to protect their properties with sand and sandbags, if they haven’t already, with residents and visitors also being told to stay away and off the river for due to high water levels.

“Safety is going to be extremely important over the next week here as the rivers are flowing extremely high. And we’re asking that everyone stay back back from the rivers,” Wightman added.

More to come

Like before, Greg Wightman says it will be the rain and not so much the heat that determines the severity of the flooding.

The river was about as high as it was when I saw it on June 9, and it is still flowing quickly.

The #Kamloops EOC was activated yesterday as a precaution. pic.twitter.com/id63XemZ3V

— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) June 21, 2022