Person waiting out the storm which rolled through Kamloops on June 9/23/via Paul James
A parched Kamloops has been given a shot of rain.
The early afternoon storm also included hail and lightening.
The storm hit about 1:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, making its way from south to north, rolling over the North Thompson.
Numerous power outages were recorded through the North Thompson Valley following the storm.
The Severe Thunderstorm Warning, which had been issued earlier in the day by Environment Canada, was cancelled by 3pm.
The storm also kept daytime temperatures, which had been expected to hit 36 degrees in the afternoon, in-check for most of the afternoon, with the recorded high topping out at 31.6-degrees, according to Environment Canada.
The City of Kamloops had opened up the Sandman Centre, once again today, as a cooling center.
However, the City announced, due to the drop in temperatures, the Sandman was closed as of 3pm.
Flooding on West Victoria/Via City of Kamloops
The storm also caused localized flooding, including on the south end of the Overlanders Bridge at Victoria Street West.
Despite the downpours, which hit off-and-on for about an hour, Environment Canada reports the total rainfall at the airport came in at just 2.6-millimeters.
The system did bring significant shots of lightening to the region as well.
Lightening hits in Kamloops as Sunday storm rolled over/via @DonovanWillick on Twitter
The storm, while not unusual for this time of year, comes as Kamloops and the surrounding region deals with drought conditions.
The concern about the dry summer conditions has already prompted the City of Kamloops to lay out plans for water restrictions.
Those could include a ban on personal vehicle washing and commercial power washing.
In more extreme conditions, the City is also considering a full-scale ban on irrigation — something which has never been done in Kamloops.
It comes as those who use the Noble Creek Irrigation System struggle with historically-low river levels on the North Thompson.
Despite earlier concerns about that system being prematurely shut down this growing season — ahead of being permanently shut down in September — local farmers are reporting the system is still providing water as of last week.
Further updates will be forthcoming if the storm created any wildfires of note in the region.
Well, that was a lot of water! City crews are responding to various storm-related events to keep our services running smoothly. If you are experiencing localized flooding of an urgent nature, please notify Civic Operations at 250-828-3461. #kamloops pic.twitter.com/0qYX9N1MBi
— City of Kamloops (@cityofkamloops) July 9, 2023
