Hot weather, thunderstorms impacting Okanagan Lake level

KELOWNA – The weather continues to conspire against those impacted by the rising lake levels in the Okanagan.

Severe thunderstorms are expected in the valley this evening and they could bring strong winds and heavy rain, which doesn't bode well when it comes to rising water levels and wave action damage on Okanagan Lake. The hot weather over the last few days is melting the snowpack and adding to the lake levels as well.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says Okanagan Lake could rise by another 10 centimetres from the 343.11 metres measured early today, May 31, and with the amount of snow still at higher mountain elevations, Okanagan Lake isn't expected to peak until the middle of June.

Mission Creek levels in Kelowna are also expected to rise give the melting snowpack and forecast rain and residents at the mouth of the creek are under an evacuation alert. Emergency Operations says being on evacuation alert means being ready to evacuate on short notice and having everything prepared for such an event.

Current evacuation alerts and orders around the Central Okanagan, as well as up to date flood information, can be found at the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations website.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Hickman or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.