Flood watches in place in Central Alberta

CTV Calgary: Keeping an eye on rising waters People are a little nervous after last summer's floods and many are keeping an eye on the rivers as the spring melt begins.

Alberta Emergency Alerts has issued a flood watch for areas of northern and central Alberta due to heavy spring runoff forcing streams to overflow their banks.

In the alert, officials say that a much higher than average snowpack have caused creeks in the Kneehills County to rise rapidly.

Water levels in the Paddle Basin have also overflowed into the fields surrounding the Paddle River.

They say that there is no risk to home or any infrastructure.

Officials with Rocky View County also say that a number of roads have had to close as a result of flooding:

They will remain closed until further notice.

Residents, however, need to be cautious of the rising water levels and take appropriate measures to avoid damage from the floods.

The province is keeping a close eye on potential flooding this year, with experts saying they’re better prepared than ever before.

The Alberta Forecasting Centre is employing the use of new technology to help warn residents of flooding coming in from the mountains.

Their tools help them monitor rainfall, snowpack, soil moisture, and temperatures to give them a better idea of flooding well before the rivers start to rise in the City of Calgary.

They say that rainfall is the main factor for massive flooding and was the main cause of the disaster last June.

Officials say that they’ve also installed an automatic rainfall intensity alarm in the eastern slopes to give them an extra warning in case of heavy rainfall.

“We pursued and added those same types of alarms on our precipitation and weather gauges that are further up in the foothills and that can potentially give some extra warning time,” says Evan Friesenhan, with the Alberta River Forecasting Centre.

There are about 40 rain gauges in flood-prone areas across Alberta.

Officials are also working on a mobile app to help residents stay up to speed on current conditions in rivers and streams.