The City of Prince George has rescinded its evacuation alert for residents of Farrell Street after water levels on the Fraser River receded on Tuesday.
Heavy rainfall on Canada Day and the following day caused localized flooding along the river, and prompted flood warnings throughout the B.C. interior.
As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the river's depth at South Fort George stood at 8.7 metres, according to an Environment Canada measuring station, after peaking at 9.5 metres shortly before 3 a.m. on Sunday. The BC River Forecast Centre is forecasting that water levels will remain below flood level in the coming days after approaching that threshold over the weekend.
Cottonwood Island Park, Paddlewheel Park, Hazelton Park and the Heritage River Trail from the Cameron Street Bridge to Taylor Drive remain closed.
Also late Tuesday morning, the B.C. River Forecast Centre downgraded its advisory for the Upper Fraser and the Fraser River from Prince George to Boston Bar to high streamflow.
A flood warning for the Quesnel River and a flood watch for middle Fraser tributaries around Williams Lake and 100 Mile House were maintained.
During the first week of July, Prince George was drenched in 40 mm of rain - amounting to two-thirds of the total the city typically receives for the month, said Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Jones.
But whether the pace will continue remains to be seen. Chances of showers ranging from 30 to 70 per cent are in the forecast through the coming weekend but could only amount to a slight delay in the seasonal switch to drier weather.
"Usually right about the 10th is the switch from the monsoon season of late spring-early summer to the mid-summer, sunnier convective weather," Jones said.
And while rain may not be everyone's cup of tea, Jones noted it has helped stem the potential for wildfires which plagued the Central Interior during the 2017 and 2018 summers.
