The City of Kamloops says there are no elevated concerns of flood risk on the North and South Thompson rivers – at this time – after yesterday’s rain in the area.

However, with more rain in the forecast today and tomorrow, Utility Services Manager, Greg Wightman says city crews are ready to deal with any pooling water should it be a concern.

“The other key message is that the rivers are expected to remain high this week because of the rain but it is unlikely to surpass the peak from last week,” Wightman told NL News.

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the second consecutive day because of the potential for as much as 15 mm of rain to fall in an hour coupled with strong wind gusts in hail.

The storm is expected to be more prevalent in the Monte Creek and Pritchard area into the Shuswap and the Okanagan Valley.

The forecast for Kamloops is calling for a 40 per cent chance of showers with risk of thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 40 km/hr in areas Monday afternoon, increasing to a 70 per cent chance of showers this evening and after midnight.

There is also a 40 per cent chance of showers and the risk of thunderstorms for Tuesday afternoon.

“What we are hearing from Environment Canada is just its going to be really hard to predict exactly where it is going to hit and exactly how much rain is going to come, and what we are hearing from the River Forecast Centre is that ‘your rivers are high and any significant amount of rain would be a concern right now,'” Wightman told NL News last Thursday, when looking ahead to the rain that was expected today and tomorrow.

Flood watches remain in effect for the South Thompson and the Thompson River from Kamloops to Spences Bridge while the North Thompson remains under a high streamflow advisory.

City boat launches have been closed since June 10, with no plans to reopen right now. Kamloopsians are being told to stay away from the creeks and rivers and to report any issues they see to the Civic Operations Department at 250-828-3461.

For more on the flood response from the City of Kamloops, go here.

Editors Note: Greg Wightman will be on the NL Morning News with Jeff Andreas at 8:40 a.m. tomorrow, July 5, with an update.