Prince George, BC – The BC River Forecast Centre has upgraded an advisory issued yesterday for rivers in northwestern BC and the Liard River to a flood watch warning.

The Centre says warm temperatures over the past five to six days have led to rapid snow melt throughout northern BC, and river levels have risen quickly as a result.

The Flood Watch warning covers:

• the Liard River at Lower Crossing and at Upper Crossing,
• the Cottonwood River above Bass Creek, which hit a 25-year flow, but peaked and is now receding, and
• the Stikine River at Telegraph Creek

The Forecast centre says real-time gauged rivers are limited throughout the region, but high flow conditions are expected throughout northcentral and northwestern BC this weekend, with rain in the forecast today – as much as 10-25mm expected from Dease Lake through to Atlin.

Water levels in some of the smaller watersheds are expected to start receding by tomorrow, while larger systems – including the Liard River – may not recede until early next week.