Flooding

If you watch the Weather Network, you may have seen this video clip from the flooding in Medicine Hat, Alberta. I took it myself on Saturday June 19th around 845pm at a creek about 15 mins walk from my house.



The creek is normally over 2 meters below the base of this bridge.

What the weather and news channels seem to keep missing in their reports is that it was not just rain over the past few days or weeks that caused this, it has been rain and snow for MONTHS that soaked the ground so much, it could not handle the recent rain storms. I've been pelted to death from heavy downpours around here for many years and do not recall EVER seeing the creeks like this. It has also been widely mis-reported that this flooding was from the South Saskatchewan River - no it was not. The creeks that burst their banks flow INTO that river, which did go high and did break through into some parks, but the flooding is from normally teeny little creeks, streams, brooks - whatever you want to call them. I grew up walking in one of the coulees that has been hard-hit, walked along the train tracks that have been washed away - and I can tell you that the creek in those areas is usually just a babbling brook that you wade in up to your ankles, maybe mid-calf in some spots, and you can literally jump or step across it in most parts. Now it is a raging torrent and has destroyed homes.

Anyway I will be back when I have time to post some photos that I took.