Cooler Temps Ease Threat in P.G, but Terrace A Flood Hot Spot

By 250 News

The cooler tempertures and  not quite as much rain as first predicted have eased the  threat of severe flooding in Prince George. 

 Earlier today it was  thought the  Fraser could hit 11 metres, but Lyle Larson with the Ministry of the Environment now says the levels are more likely to peak just below ten.  "That would be close to the levels experienced in 1990." says Larson.

The cooler temperatures have slowed the melt of the snowpack,  but  Larson says that doesn’t mean we are out of the woods.  " If the weather were to change, if we were to get a forecast with fairly intensive rainfall, there is a possibility we could see another peak, but at this point in time that is not in the forecast."

Larson says  the Fraser  can phave more than one peak during the freshet "Typically the Fraser  can peak two to  six times and in 1972 there were actually 4 peaks.  But this year, we’ve only experienced one peak which was on May the 10th in Prince George and  the gauge level in Prince George reached 8.8 metres at that time."  Then the wather stayed cool, until last weekend,   and the rapid  melt has brought Prince George to the position it is in today.

The Skeena is the real  concern at the moment.  It continues to rise, and there have been  numerous road closures, there is an evacuation alert issued for the Kitimat- Stikine Regional District.  The Usk Ferry has been cancelled, CN rail has  stopped all traffic  along its lines  east  of Terrace.  The Bridge between highway 37 and highway 16 has been closed,  and there are serious concerns about other  bridges.  There has been major sandbagging going on, but  PEP officials say it is clear there will be  water damage to homes.

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