YARMOUTH, N.S. — It was another wet day in Yarmouth County and other parts of Nova Scotia on Thursday, June 6, and with the heavy downpour came flooded roads and flooded basements, along with other issues.
The province was under a heaving rainfall warning, that was lifted in Yarmouth County by late afternoon on Thursday.
Saltwire Network meteorologist Cindy Day agreed the rain had been relentless.
“Some rainfall totals are coming in, but they are not official,” she said in a 4:30 p.m. email response to a question over rainfall amounts for the day. “I see 39 mm for Lower West Pubnico, 34 for Port Maitland, but check this out: Sluice Point (near Tusket) received 104 mm of rain in seven hours. That’s more than one month’s worth in less than a day.”
Day noted that the average rainfall for Yarmouth for the month of June is 95 mm.
It's been relentless. The official #Rain totals are not in, but there are reports of 104 mm in 420 minutes in Sluice Point NS ( near Argyle). that's more than 1 month of rain in 7 hours! CoCoRaHS network has filed a sgnificant weather report. What is your rain gauge showing? pic.twitter.com/3KPaFxrMjS
— Cindy Day (@CindyDayWeather) June 6, 2019
Environment Canada had put a rainfall warning in place for Thursday, saying projections for rainfall were in the 30-40 mm range, with some areas expected to receive around 60 mm. It was being reported Thursday that some areas in the Wedgeport and Tusket areas, and Yarmouth, had seen possible rainfall totals ranging from 70 to 100 mm.
Some of the areas in the town of Yarmouth that normally experience flooding during heavy rainfall saw flooding conditions once again on June 6.
The middle section of the parking lot at the Yarmouth Mall on Starrs Road was underwater. A large area of the parking lot was barricaded to traffic, as was one of the mall entrances. Regent Street was closed where the street turns from pavement to dirt.
And at Gateway Field on William and South East streets, the outfield resembled a small lake once again, where the only activity happening on the field was by seagulls.
Fortunately, the call had already been made days earlier to postpone a major outdoor activity that was to have taken place at the Yarmouth Links on June 6 and is attended by hundreds. The annual JStrong golf tournament – which is a fundraiser for the JStrong Fund that helps local youth access sports – was postponed to Aug. 15 due to course conditions at the Yarmouth Links that have been plagued by wet weather.
There were reports of flooded basements coming in from all parts of the county. Calls for assistance were said to have gone out to the Quinan, Eel Brook, Islands, Amiraults Hill, West Pubnico, Lake Vaughan and Wedgeport fire departments.
In Wedgeport the CSAP announced that classes for Ecole Wedgeport have been cancelled for Friday, June 7, due to the heavy rains and flooding.
“We will have more information at the end of the day on Friday,” the school board said on Twitter.
The main road through Wedgeport saw flooding in multiple areas on Thursday morning and afternoon. Vehicles did what they could to avoid the flooded areas by driving around them when possible if there was no oncoming traffic, and when they couldn’t many vehicles crept their way through the water. For some, however, the flooded areas on the road presented themselves without warning.
Storm drains couldn’t keep up with the rainfall, as water could be seen frantically bubbling over. Ditches were full to overflowing and/or the water looked like a torrent traveling through the ditches.
Still, the downpour didn’t dissuade everyone. At the Branch 155 Royal Canadian Legion in Wedgeport where a commemorative ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day happened inside, afterwards a group went outside in the downpour to lay a wreath at the memorial outside the legion.
For those looking for a break from the wet weather, Cindy Day says there is some relief on the way.
“We are heading into a beautiful stretch of weather with sunny to partly sunny conditions,” she said Thursday. Still, be prepared to put away those patio cushions in a few days.
“The next showers will roll in Tuesday afternoon,” she said.
