The streets of Rosthern were covered in water on Friday night. (Facebook/Saskatchewan Highway and Weather Conditions/Kimberly Fabick)

By Rob Mahon

Rosthern Flooding

Friday deluge brings flooding to Rosthern

Jun 14, 2022 | 4:00 PM

A sudden downpour of rain on Friday caused flooding in various parts of Saskatchewan. One of the communities that saw flooding was the town of Rosthern.

The rain started at about 6:00 in the evening on Friday, and while it was short-lived, a lot of rain fell in a short span of time.

“The numbers seem to say about two and a half, three inches of rain in maybe half an hour,” said Dennis Helmuth, Mayor of Rosthern. “It was remarkable.”

Facebook pictures show the streets of the town covered in water and trucks trying to plow through water that comes above their bumpers. For all that, however, the town got off relatively easily.

“The good news is, our waterworks drainage system for the most part worked very well,” said Helmuth. “There were some lower elevation street intersections that the water accumulated and went over the curb. I understand there were a few houses… had some water go into their basements.”

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Rain wasn’t the only thing mother nature hammered Rosthern with on Friday either.

“It was very windy. There was some tree damage, not a lot,” Helmuth said. “There was hail with that rain, too. Not a lot of damage from it, but mostly the severity and the intensity of it, that was a little bit daunting.”

Despite a rainy few days since then, Helmuth said there has been no further flooding, and the wind letting up has helped alleviate any problems. They’re not out of the woods yet, however, with three of the next five days showing a chance of showers.

“We’re as prepared as we can be,” said Helmuth. “You’re never quite sure what’s going to come your way, but we’re as ready as we can be. It’s pretty grey here today, but not a drop of rain yet here today. We’ll see what the next few days bring.”

Now that the flooding has died down, the town begins to look to some of the positives around all that rain. Local farmers are among those benefiting most from it.

“From a municipal gardens and grass and lawn perspective and trees, it’s very needed,” Helmuth said. “Of course, with our rural neighbors, it’s not a million-dollar rain, it’s a billion-dollar rain. At this point, it’s very welcome.”

Environment Canada confirmed that one of the storms in Saskatchewan that night did bring a tornado touching down near Maymont, a town about an hour and a half west and slightly south of Rosthern.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP