“What happened earlier today seems to have been a very local event,” Environment Canada meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said late Monday afternoon. “We saw some of the stations report 50 to 70 millimeters that we saw at the southern end of the city, while at the airport, they took about one millimeter. “It seems there was a really big difference between the north and the south end of the city.” The weather forecast for early afternoon in Saskatoon suggested it would be mostly cloudy – and it turned out to be much worse than that. “If the report said it was cloudy, it probably happened at our airport station, which did not rain much,” Desjardins said. “This was likely to happen where the heaviest rainfall occurred south of the station. “As far as I know, there have been no malfunctions on the part of Canada’s Environment and Climate Change. “It was just a product of how local these floods and these extreme rains were.” Floods are reported in underpasses throughout the city. Please be very careful out there. Taylor and Lorne Ave underpass locations are currently inaccessible. pic.twitter.com/7jwTNrS3yi – SPS Traffic Unit (@SPSTraffic) 20 June 2022 Saskatoon Police said Lorne Avenue and Exhibition Road, the northern lanes of Circle Drive near the Taylor Street overpass, the Circle Drive and Idylwyld overpass, and locations near Louise Street and Preston Drive were flooded. Police urged residents to evacuate and be vigilant in flood-prone areas. Angela Gardiner, Saskatoon’s general manager of utilities and environment services, said the Circle Drive between College and Taylor Street as well as Preston Avenue South and McEown Avenue were problem areas. “There are roadblocks at some of these intersections, but we urge you to avoid the areas altogether if possible. “Please stay out of the water with your car or if you are on foot and watch your movement home,” Gardiner said. The city has firefighting services, water and sewerage crews and support for the Saskatoon Police Department for responding to emergency calls, with crews working around the clock and overnight if needed. Any emergency should be reported to Saskatoon’s Customer Service Center on 306-975-2476. “We know there may be some flooding of private property, so to reduce the risk of property damage, residents should ensure that the lower vents disperse the water at least two meters or six feet away from the foundations of your home.” said Gardiner. Rainfall routes may also be affected by rainfall. The Saskatoon Fieldhouse, racetracks and Lions Arena were closed due to flooding. The Lawson Civic Center was to close early. Tent at Mckercher and 8th. The water begins to recede. #yxe @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/cfEUPf8ucG – Brent Bosker (@brentbosker) June 20, 2022 A man on the corner of Eighth and McKercher said water had seeped through his car tires. “It’s very bad weather right now,” he said. “The police should do something for us, such as stopping traffic or doing anything to make sure there are no cars in the water.” He said water got into his car – so much so that his shoes were floating. “There is literally water in my car,” he said. “If you go in there and open the doors, it’s all water.” Clarence Neufeld was close to Eighth and Taylor and said the road was flooded, with cars stuck in the pool water. “Turning north, there were some semiconductors, but the heavy traffic is now leading the ramp to Taylor Street, instead of trying to get under the overpass,” Neufeld said. Christine Thille was trying to reach Stonebridge after learning that her children’s school – Chief Whitecap School – was closing early due to flood concerns. “I made my way to Stonebridge and when I got there, there were cars lined up at all the intersections because it was all flooded,” he said. “The cars were trying to cross the intersections and then stopped outside because water was entering their cars.” Thille said she had to park two blocks away and walk through the water above her knees to get to school. “There are police in the area now directing cars away from intersections which is very bad, but there are still a lot of abandoned cars that have just stopped and unfortunately will be a bit choked,” he said. This may also apply to cars in the underground car park of an apartment building opposite the school. Thille said there seemed to be three or four feet of water in the garage. Και Fire and city crews are responding to numerous calls related to local flooding from heavy rain this afternoon. ❗ Drivers avoid Circle Dr between College & Taylor. Louise & Mceown. @ Stoontransit 6, 19 and 83 routes are bypassed. Check transportation service alerts. pic.twitter.com/K9bFNAUj4S – @cityofsaskatoon (@cityofsaskatoon) June 20, 2022 According to a Facebook post by Ian Striemer, more than three inches of rain fell in about two hours. More than 3 “of rain in about 2 hours with our road partially flooding for the first time in the 20 years we are here. The water level rose on the roads about 6-7 feet. Posted by Ian Striemer on Monday, June 20th, 2022 Samantha Krahn said her house was flooded during the rain, with water coming in through her windows and fireplace. Water is spilled on my basement window and fireplace and Louise Avenue is flooded. Please avoid. There are already three sunken cars. #yxestorm #yxe @CBCSaskatoon @GlobalSaskatoon @ctvsaskatoon @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/sNFO4tr9af – Samantha Krahn (@SamanthaKrahn) June 20, 2022 Mandy Denwood sent us her video of the floods in the City Park neighborhood. Listen live to our special coverage for all the latest details: pic.twitter.com/WYylhsnN9O – 650 CKOM (@CKOMNews) 20 June 2022
