Parts of Regina have recently experienced flooding due to heavy rainfalls caused by a storm system that refuses to leave. The City of Regina's manager of sewer and drainage operations, Adam Bryant, spoke about recent flooding in the city during a news conference on Monday.
Wet Summer Ahead
“The rest of the summer does look like it’s going to warm up a little more, maybe a little warmer than normal for much of Saskatchewan,” said Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) meteorologist Brian Proctor. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the skies will be clear. The forecast indicates more rain in the coming days — and beyond.
“Expect significant amounts of precipitation from time to time,” he said.
Recent Rainfall Amounts
Varying amounts of rain, between 16 and 63.2 millimetres, fell during recent storms. Last weekend saw about a month’s worth of rainfall in two days. Proctor attributed it to an unusual phenomenon: Thunderstorms continued to form behind and along the jet axis — an imaginary “river” of air that steers weather systems — causing the storms to reappear in the same place again and again.
Flooding in the Streets
“It was just a station amount of precipitation coming out in a short duration of time and just continuing over top of the same area, overwhelming the structure of the city,” said Proctor. While Regina’s infrastructure was not damaged in the deluge, the city aims to improve drainage.
“The first project is the Al Ritchie drainage project, which is worth $22 million, the Speaker’s Corner project, worth $20 million, and the southwest sewer upgrade, worth $106 million,” said Adam Bryant. The planned upgrades are to help prevent flooding in residential areas and underpasses.
Stay Alerted
The City of Regina’s “notifynow” system provides alerts about risks to citizens, including floods. The free-to-use service is available on the city’s website. Users can sign up and get alerts via email, phone call or text. “The city is always looking for better ways to notify residents and give them the information they need,” said Bryant.
Residents can also check SaskAlert, which broadcasts ECCC information via cellphones, TV and radio. It’s available for free through Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store. The app information is provided in real time and uses colour codes to identify danger zones.
