Record rainfalls caused issues throughout the city as different areas of the capitol felt the pressures of the unprecedented weather in recent days.
According to open data provided by Environment Canada the capitol received a record 32.6 millimeters of rain, smashing the previous mark of seven millimeters set in 1998. According to that same data, the annual rainfall average in the city for the entire month sits around 28 millimeters. Environment Canada noted that while the average on this particular day was four times that of the previous record, daily records throughout the rest of the month vary greatly.
“Precipitation falls about a quarter of the time throughout June. So if you go back to June 7, the record is 3.6 millimeters in 1967 and on June 8 it’s 31.8 millimeters,” said Brian Proctor, Meteorologist with Environment Canada.
The Monday rainfall added onto the Franklin Avenue construction that has already caused delays and detours for Yellowknifers. The city stated on social media early Monday afternoon that additional road closures were being put in place. These closures meant that all traffic headed towards the downtown core was re-routed at the Multiplex intersection onto Taylor Rd past William Mcdonald Middle School and along the detour that had previously been in place due to construction. That additional detour was still in effect as of Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile downtown, city hall experienced water on all three floors that forced staff to be posted around the building 24 hours a day to monitor leaks that have occurred.
A call to Commercial NDS, a company in the city that offers flood restoration services stated that “all of our guys are way too busy right now,” when asked how many calls they have received in the last 24 hours relating to flooding in the city.
While the rain is causing issues in the present, Environment Canada says that it could pay off in the future.
With the city experiencing precipitation levels that Environment Canada can deem as ‘drought like’ throughout the winter, the department says that the recent rainfall could help to fight off potential forest fires in the area.
“When we look at the rainfall it’s a good new story, we need moisture, we need the rain we were in a moisture deficit throughout most of Western Canada,” said Proctor. “If I look at the (three-month) deterministic forecast for you guys, what they're showing is below normal precipitation, so any moisture we get now will help delay those severe forest fire situations.”
In addition, Proctor said that the early summer rain could help restore water levels in the rivers and smaller lakes around the city that have been low in previous years.
“Getting additional rainfall will help replenish some of the lakes and some of the streams. It won’t be enough to do a whole lot on the big lakes, but it will help with some of the lower levels,” said Proctor.
Yellowknifers will have to bear with a few more days of rain as Environment Canada is calling for rain with a chance of thunderstorms throughout the week. However, the weekend will look to turn things around for the capitol as the forecast from Friday to Sunday calls for sun with weather ranging from 19C to 24 C.