Months worth of rain expected over the weekend near southern Mackenzie Mountains

A storm is expected to drop more than 100 mm of rain near the southern part of the Mackenzie Mountains over the weekend. 

The N.W.T. government issued a water monitoring bulletin that said there is "high confidence" of two 24-hour periods of 50 mm of rainfall between June 29 and July 3. 

"There is also the potential of over 150 mm of rain falling within a single 24 hour period within the above date range," it reads. "The heaviest rain is predicted to fall on Friday June 30 and Saturday July 1." 

The bulletin says it's not known exactly where the heaviest rainfall will happen, but that Wrigley and the South Nahanni River Basin "could see very significant rainfall." 

The South Nahanni River may also see a quick rise and possibly affect residents in Nahanni Butte. 

"It is always important for individuals to be ready for emergencies. That means having an emergency plan for you and your household, having an emergency kit ready to go, staying up-to-date with the latest information from your community, and following instructions from local officials should the time come," reads the bulletin. 

Several tributaries in the Mackenzie Mountains will be affected by the heavy rain, such as Redstone River, Keele River and Mountain River. 

The bulletin warns people on the land about high water levels and increased flow on these rivers. 

"Be prepared with communication methods before you go out on-the-land, know the conditions, and be prepared to leave your camp, or cabin on short notice should flooding become imminent," reads the bulletin.

The amount of expected rainfall equates to the same amount usually seen over one to two months in the area. 

'Change plans' if traveling in the area

Sara Hoffman of Environment Canada encouraged people in the area to plan accordingly for the holiday weekend, and be cautious.

"If you were planning to head west of Wrigley, or northwest of Fort Simpson, maybe reconsider your plans. Or if you are going to go, know exactly what you are going to do if you find yourself faced with rising water levels, landslides," she said.

"Honestly, I would just recommend [to] change plans."

Hoffman said the weather system is moving into the area from the Gulf of Alaska, and could also bring more lightning. That increases the potential for more wildfires.

"Yes there's potential for a few new starts, but there's a lot of rain that comes with it too so hopefully if anything gets going the rain can stop it before it becomes too widespread," she said.

At the same time, the Sambaa K'e area — where residents have been under an evacuation order for nearly a month due to an large wildfire nearby — is not expecting as much rain in the coming days. Still, Hoffman said there could be some relief there.

 "Hopefully the cooler temperatures and increased humidity will help the firefighting situation anyway," she said.