Senior firefighter Rene Grigat dives from the shore to rescue colleague Tyson Zarowny during an open-water rescue training exercise near the CPKC rail bridge over the South Saskatchewan River on Monday afternoon.--News Photo Collin Gallant
@MedicineHatNews
The river through Medicine Hat is up after rain arrived across southern Alberta on the weekend, but mostly not to the high levels that led to a variety of high stream flow advisories on the Bow and Oldman river basins.
Medicine Hat received between 20 and 40 millimetres of rain,(equating to just less than an inch, to one inch and three-fifths) mostly overnight, on the weekend, while 150 mm, or six inches fell west of Calgary.
That kept high water warnings for rivers on the Bow in place, but with half the forecasted eight inches arriving in the more southern foothills, the advisories on the Oldman River were lifted.
Water from both basins is now moving to the South Saskatchewan River, which will flow higher in days to come as volumes move east.
Precipitation in the local region caused the river to swell high enough for local firefighters to practice open water rescue techniques.
The South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat rose more than two feet as of Monday afternoon compared to Friday following mostly overnight rain in the early morning hours of Saturday and Sunday.
That moved the flow on the river just into historical normal range for the end of June – 284 cubic metres per second, compared to a lower quartile number of about 200, and almost three times the figure late last week.
The City of Medicine Hat stated Friday that officials did not expect localized flooding here, though they warned residents to be cautious near the river and on banks as the current rose.
The storm was forecast on the 12th anniversary of the 2013 flood that caused widespread damage with a near record flow above 5,000 CMS that year.
The typical high flow in late June at the Hat is about 500 CMS.
On Monday, the Bow River at the mouth of the South Saskatchewan had risen three feet over the weekend, to 350 CMS, while the Oldman flow doubled to about 60 CMS, but has since receded.
Large amounts of rain were expected to fall in the southern foothills and eastern slopes of the Rockies, leading to worry that tributaries of major river systems would see high streamflows.
Between 70 to 120 millimetres fell between Sundre and Pincher Creek, with higher elevations seeing snow rather than rain. That should extend the time needed for it to enter the river basin.
Rain across the south
Brooks and Lethbridge were on either side of a band of heavier rain that saw 40 to 60 mms, as did a pocket around the Cypress Hills.
Areas directly west of Lethbridge saw 60 to 80 mm, as did much of the Special Areas.
In Cypress Country, the Hilda region saw less than 20 millimetres, while a small area southwest of Oyen received as much as 100 mm.
Fire risk downgraded in southeast Alberta
Widespread rain on the weekend led Cypress County officials to downgrade a fire restriction to a fire advisory on Monday.
Fire bans are in place in the Saskatchewan RMs of Maple Creek, Reno, Big Stock, Fox Valley and Deer Forks along the Alberta boundary, as well as Gull Lake in the near region of southwest Saskatchewan.
