A large area of southern Alberta is under flood watch as steady rain continues and is forecast to keep coming until sometime tomorrow.
A flood watch indicates river and stream levels are rising and will approach or exceed the banks, with possible adjacent flooding.
Southern Alberta communities and residents along the Castle, Crowsnest, Belly and Little Red Deer rivers are on flood watch, as are those along the Oldman upstream of the Oldman Dam, those on Willow Creek downstream of Chain Lakes and along Lee and Pincher creeks.
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Alberta Environment advises that water levels are steady or rising in all of the above waterways.
High stream flow advisories have also been issued for the Waterton and St. Mary rivers, as well as the Oldman downstream of the dam, the South Saskatchewan River and tributaries flowing from the Cypress Hills.
The environment department said today that more rain than anticipated is possible. Up to 150 millimetres are expected in the Oldman River basin, with the largest amounts falling tonight and into Wednesday morning. Cypress Hills may see 90 to 110 millimetres over that same time.
Willow Creek downstream of Chain Lakes may rise as much as two metres, the department said, with similar increases possible upstream and downstream of the dam on the Oldman and along Lee Creek and the South Saskatchewan River.
One to 1.5 m water level rises are possible in Bow Valley tributaries and in the Waterton, Castle, Belly and St. Mary rivers, and in the Pincher Creek basin.
On the Crowsnest River, water levels are forecast to rise about 1.5 metres, which is above known flood thresholds near Frank, in the Crowsnest Pass.
In Wallaceville, a part of High River, water may approach flood thresholds. That area was also hard hit almost exactly on year ago, when widespread flooding caused billions of dollars in damage.
However, the department said no flooding is expected in other areas of High River at this time.
