Mission Creek where it drains into Okanagan Lake at the end of Bluebird Road in Kelowna’s the Lower Mission on Sunday July 3, 2022. The BC River Forecast Center has upgraded a high flow warning to a flood watch on Mission Creek. Heavy rain fell late Sunday and Monday morning in the Kelowna area, raising creek levels. Flows in Mission Creek near East Kelowna increased rapidly overnight, with streamflows at 56 m 3/s (approximately a 2-year flow). The water may rise another 80-100 m3/s today and into Tuesday, depending on the weather. The river forecast center says between 5 and 35mm of rain has been seen across the region since yesterday and more is on the way. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued Monday morning for the Okanagan, South Thompson, Nicola, Shuswap and Boundary. Environment Canada says rainfall in some places, including the Okanagan Valley, the Monte Creek region and the Shuswap, could see heavy rainfall in excess of 15 mm per hour. Strong winds, strong lighting and light hail are also possible. An upper low is expected to occur across southwestern BC. today, bringing rain with a chance of heavier showers and thunderstorms to the Southern Interior and Kootenays. Okanagan Lake levels could start to rise again after peaking late last month when Mission Creek and other waterways swelled due to rain and melting snow. The upper low pressure system is forecast to move out of southern B.C. until tonight. A high flow warning remains in effect for the Similkameen River and tributaries, the Boundary including the Kettle River and Granby Rivers, the West Kootenay including the Slocan River and Duhamel Creek, and the East Kootenay including the Kootenay River and its tributaries.
