Environment Canada predicts a significant amount of rain to hit the B.C. Interior, but it remains uncertain where it will hit. With Mission Creek already running high and the Okanagan under a flood watch, meteorologist Armel Castellan states that it is difficult to pinpoint where and how much rain Kelowna will receive when the system arrives on Friday. Castellan explains that the system will be scattered and could bring anywhere from 10 to 30 millimeters to the Central Okanagan, while a total of 45 millimeters is expected to fall in the Kootenay-Boundary region.
While convection and thunderstorms are expected to accompany the rain, Castellan believes they will not hit the entire region but will be scattered. The main rain event is expected to take place on Friday morning and early afternoon. According to Castellan, predicting which Okanagan watershed the rainfall will hit is challenging when a scattered system rolls in.
Castellan says Environment Canada is working with Emergency Management BC and suggests that the prediction of the amount of rainfall has become a risk equation. It is no longer about how many millimeters are going to fall at a certain time, but rather context and exposure-dependent and ultimately vulnerability-dependent.
The Okanagan region has been under a flood watch due to the high levels of Mission Creek. The system’s arrival on Friday morning will further increase the water levels in the region. Residents are advised to keep themselves updated with the latest weather updates and be prepared for any situation.