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Rainfall warning lifted for Medicine Hat and area after days of record-breaking rain

May 8, 2024 | 1:00 PM

Summary:

  • Rainfall warning lifted for Alberta
  • Cypress County intersection under water
  • Rainfall record achieved Tuesday

Rain lets up

It’s over.

A rainfall warning for Medicine Hat and much of southeast Alberta was lifted Wednesday, bringing a close to a historic weather event that brought much-needed rain to the area this week.

Despite the overcast sky, the region is expected to warm up to 15 C by late afternoon.

Medicine Hat set a new single day record for rainfall on Tuesday.

Environment Canada reported 73.3 millimetres of rain had been received at the airport as of midnight last night.

The previous single day rainfall record was set in May of 1901, when 40.1 millimetres was received.

A combined total of 83.1 millimetres of rain has fallen since Tuesday as of 10 a.m. today.

READ: No risk of flooding in Medicine Hat, officials say

Cypress County has warned of two closures due to minor flooding.

The intersection of Township Road 94 and Range Road 30 is under water. Officials have asked the public to avoid this area.

Josephburg Trail is closed — with the exception of local traffic — between Township Roads 114 and 110 due to overflow at the low-level crossing, the county reported Wednesday morning.

Precipitation levels

This system has brought varying amounts of precipitation to the region.

Alberta Environment’s monitoring station at Medicine Lodge in the Cypress Hills was showing 118.5 millimetres of rain in a 48-hour period up to 4:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.

At Elkwater the gauge measured a 48-hour total of 104.4 millimetres over the same period.

Irvine’s 48-hour total was 66.5 mm as of 4 a.m. this morning.

Seven Person’s measured 63.2 mm while at Schuler the 48 hour total as of 4 a.m. was 37 mm.

Environment Canada is continuing it’s rainfall warning, with another 5 to 10 mm expected before this system wrings itself out later today.

The system also brought high wind gusts, with One Four recording a peak gust of 106 kph, and 104 gust at Pakowki Lake.

There were some weather related issues from the rainfall on Tuesday.

People on social media posted pictures of water that was pooling in open areas.

Pools of rainwater collecting on Highway 1 in the Kin Coulee dip saw traffic reduced to a single eastbound lane before it reopened.

City utility crews also replaced a power pole at the bottom of Scholten hill that was responsible for a power outage affecting about 1,200 customers.

Crestwood, Norwood, the south River Flats, southeast Hill, Connaught, Marlborough and Southridge areas had lost power.

Medicine Hat College was closed for a portion of the day due to the power outage.