River came up but going back down now

By Medicine Hat News on June 27, 2025.

@MedicineHatNews

Widespread rain in southern Alberta last weekend quadrupled the flow in the South Saskatchewan River, but levels at Medicine Hat now appearing to be receding.

Most of southeast Alberta received one to one-and-one-half inches of rain during showers that extended across the province from June 20 to 23. That included up to five inches, or 125 millimetres in the foothills west of Calgary.

Before the rain in Medicine Hat, the river had been low compared to historical averages for late June at about 100 cubic metres per second (CMS).

The peak, of 482 CMS, appears to have happened early Wednesday morning, and levels were 20 per cent lower Thursday afternoon, equating to a drop of two feet.

A streamflow advisory on Bow River System ended before noon on Thursday.

The Saskatchewan Water Agency predicted flows as high as 800 CMS along its portion of the South Saskatchewan River. That includes flow from the Red Deer River, which is still under an advisory in Alberta.

The Saskatchewan agency stated that capacity at Lake Diefenbaker was considered sufficient to manage the increase, with a only a slight increase to outflow toward Saskatoon.

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