The BC River Forecast Centre has upgraded a flood watch in the Lower Thompson region to a flood warning.

It says waterways covered by the flood warning include Cache Creek, Deadman River, Criss Creek, Bonaparte River, and the areas around the community of Cache Creek and Skeetchestn.

A flood watch remains in place for the remaining areas of the Lower Thompson, as well as the Salmon River and the Okanagan.

“Sunny conditions with warm temperatures and high freezing levels are anticipated through this week. Daily high temperatures remain in the upper 20 C range,” the River Forecast Centre said. “On Thursday, the ridge of high pressure is forecast to weaken, with an upper low trough approaching B.C. on Friday, bringing precipitation to the region with current forecasts indicating the potential for significant amounts of precipitation (30-60 mm) in areas.”

Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta says a significant rainfall event in the days ahead would be the “worst case scenario” as it could cause the water levels to rise again. That community, west of Kamloops, is under a local stage of emergency having already experienced flooding in recent days.

Warmer weather means mid-elevation snowpacks have been melting at an increased rate over the past few days, with about 25 mm to 50 mm of snowmelt reported just yesterday, May 1.

The River Forecast Centre says flows in areas around the Bonaparte River below Cache Creek, Arrowstone Creek Near the Mouth, Deadman River above Criss Creek, and Criss Creek near Savona are currently in the 5-year to above the 20-year range.

“Flooding is possible in these rivers and in similar ungauged rivers near to these areas,” the statement said, noting the current flows in the Okanagan region remain at or below the 2-year flow in most areas.

“With on-going above normal temperatures next week, on-going rises in rivers are expected across the region, with increasing potential for flood hazard in other rivers over the coming days. The potential for heavier precipitation on Friday and Saturday could lead to a period of significant flood hazard through the region late this week.”

Please note a Flood Watch has now been issued by the River Forecast Centre for Criss Creek, the Deadman River, Cache Creek, the Bonaparte River and other similar tributaries of the Lower Thompson.

View the full Flood Watch Bulletin here: https://t.co/EPUsZM2NnC #bcfloods

— TNRD (@TNRD) May 2, 2023