On Sunday evening, Abbotsford had already set its own daily record for the most rainfall seen on Nov. 14 鈥� what would follow the next day though in parts of the Fraser Valley would set provincial records.

Both Hope and Abbotsford totalled precipitation amounts early in the week that several cities within B.C. don鈥檛 see in an entire year.

And in a two-day period, Hope saw almost as much rain as Penticton would see in one year, on average, according to Environment Canada.

鈥淚t puts everything in perspective but of course in the Southern Okanagan, it鈥檚 generally a much dryer and completely different climate from the Fraser Valley,鈥� said Bobby Sekhon, a Vancouver-based meteorologist.

Hope saw 295 millimetres of rain on Sunday and Monday combined, while Penticton usually sees around 299 millimetres of rain throughout an entire year.

鈥淗ope, generally in the month of November, sees about 310 millimetres of precipitation, so it鈥檚 not entirely uncommon for them to have heavy rain,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut this was definitely significant for a two-day period.鈥�

Meanwhile, in Merritt, the entire population has been forced to evacuate the city, amid the record-breaking floods seen in the area on Monday.

鈥淭here are a few different things contributing to the flooding in Merritt,鈥� added Sekhon. 鈥淔rom what I understand, the cold water river flows from the Coquihalla where we saw over 250 millimetres of rain.

鈥淧lus the possibility of some water running down in that area too.鈥�

Evacuees from Merritt have been forced to make their way to Kelowna, where volunteers at the city鈥檚 Parkinson Recreation Centre will provide the ones affected with food and shelter.

One hour south of Merritt, remains under a state of emergency as the town continues its efforts to prevent more flooding.

logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com
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