Rain to set records; Castlegar weathering it well
By Kyra Hoggan
Not even the weather experts are able to remain blase about the prodigious precipitation plaguing our region – Chris Cowan at the Southeast Fire Centre says rainfall levels are, “astronomical”.
He said the area usually averages roughly 60 mm of rainfall in June, compared to this month’s ballpark of 180 mm … and the rain is still falling.
“It’s by far the most rain we’ve seen in June since we started keeping records in the 1960s,” Cowan said. “And it’s on course for setting the record for the most precipitation we’ve had in any month since we’ve been keeping records.”
He said there’s only one November in which there was more precipitation than June 2012, but that was counting snow, as well.
“The month’s not over yet,” he added.
City of Castlegar operations manager Gary Sauer said the city’s shoring itself up effectively so far, with no major mudslides or road closures, although Millennium Park and Zuckerberg Island both had to be closed due to flooding.
“We’ve disconnected the lights along Millennium Walkway because of the flooding as well,” he added, cautioning residents against exploring the submerged areas of the park. “We’re asking residents to use common sense – It’s not a good place to be hanging out right now.”
City crews are assisting residents with sandbags wherever possible, and Sauer said they’re making up more in anticipation of further rain.
They’ve also taken a vaccum truck out, sucking up the larger puddles. Snaking storm drains to ensure they don’t become clogged, cleaning up gravel that has washed into thoroughfares, and monitoring creeks and culverts in case of further flooding – all this is keeping city crews busy as the rain continues.
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