Update 1: Alberta flood information update (June 29, 5:45 p.m.)

Evacuation orders and alerts

• Access restrictions and localized closures are in effect for Kananaskis Country, including portions of Highway 40 and the Smith Dorrien Trail.
  • Mudslides, road washouts, and bridge impacts are impeding public access. Staff and contractors are actively clearing routes to restore safe access.
• On June 29, the Town of Canmore rescinded all evacuation alerts, which affected the following areas:
  • Alpine Club
  • Bow Valley Riders Association
  • 140, 149, and 150 Stone Creek Road
  • Eagle Landing
  • residents/visitors east of Lincoln Park up to and including Alpine Helicopters
  • residents on Palliser Trail (Hector, Blakiston, Peak Estates, and 100 Palliser Lane)
• Alberta Emergency Alerts are issued by local authorities and are updated at their discretion. For the best source of information on the status of evacuation orders and alerts, residents are encouraged to follow their local authorities' preferred communication channels for updates.
• People living in Alberta are encouraged to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers.

Current situation - parks

• Alberta's government and local authorities are actively responding to impacted road infrastructure in Kananaskis Country due to ongoing rainfall and saturated ground conditions. Due to multiple impacted areas and the need for a corresponding coordinated response, Kananaskis Improvement District has declared a state of Local Emergency.
• An integrated Emergency Coordination Centre has been established at the Town of Canmore Firehall to support effective local response.
• Conditions are changing quickly. People already in the area are asked to follow instructions from facility staff and local emergency officials.
• Officials are actively engaged with facility operators and taking steps to relay important information to visitors and campers who may be sheltering in place.
• Albertans are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Kananaskis Country. As water levels are elevated throughout the region, the public is reminded to use caution near rivers, creeks, and other water bodies.
• Visitors are encouraged to monitor updates from Alberta 511 for current highway conditions and closures, Alberta Emergency Alerts for emergency notifications, and official Government of Alberta channels for recreation area and park information.

Current situation - flooding (as of 1:30 p.m., June 29)

• A flood warning is in place on the Elbow River upstream of Glenmore Reservoir.
• Flood watches are currently in place for:
  • Bow basin: Pipestone River
  • Red Deer basin: Little Red Deer River and the Red Deer River near Sundre
  • Athabasca basin: Freeman River
• High Streamflow Advisories remain in place from the rain event from last weekend. Additional High Streamflow Advisories were implemented for the event this weekend. The affected basins are summarized below from north to south:
  • Peace River basin: Simonette River and the Little Smoky River
  • Athabasca River basin: Pembina River, Paddle River, and Sakwatamau River
  • North Saskatchewan River basin: North Saskatchewan River from Rocky Mountain House to the Saskatchewan River border, including Vermilion River, Sturgeon River, Redwater Creek, Waskatenau Creek, tributaries to the North Saskatchewan River near and downstream of Edmonton, Brazeau River, Baptiste River
  • Beaver River Basin: Beaver River and the tributaries to Cold Lake
  • Battle River Basin: Battle River through Ponoka
  • Red Deer River Basin: Red Deer River upstream of Dickson Dam including its tributaries and the Medicine River and Blindman River downstream of Dickson Dam
  • Bow River: Highwood River confluence to the Oldman River confluence
  • Oldman River Basin: Oldman River, St. Mary River, Waterton River, Belly River, Pincher Creek, Willow Creek
• A map showing all advisories, watches and warnings, along with forecaster's comments, can be found on the Alberta Rivers website.

Roads and highways (as of 1:30 p.m., June 29)

• The recent significant rainfall events have resulted in localized overland flooding, transportation disruptions and minor infrastructure damage across several areas of the province.
• While impacts were generally localized, saturated ground conditions combined with heavy rainfall in portions of central Alberta and the eastern foothills led to elevated runoff, localized flooding, washed-out road sections and mudslides affecting transportation corridors.
• Provincial closures due to flooding, rockslides or mudslides:
  • Highway 742 southwest of Canmore to the junction with Highway 40 - CLOSED
  • Highway 837 near the junction with Highway 575, northwest of Drumheller - CLOSED
  • Highway 40 between Mount Lorette Ponds and Highway 940, Kananaskis - CLOSED
  • Highway 1A between Highway 1 and Lincoln Park, Canmore - CLOSED
  • Highway 824 near Township Road 520, south of Ardrossan - CLOSED
  • Highway 15 between Highway 29 and Highway 831, Lamont - CLOSED
  • Highway 778 near Township Road 490, south of Thorsby - CLOSED
  • Highway 717 near Range Road 124, west of Hines Creek - CLOSED
  • Highway 642 near Highway 44, west of Morinville - CLOSED
• Highway 541 & Highway 742- the segments not currently closed are listed as Travel Not Recommended.
• Individuals who are camping at Mt. Kidd are now able to exit Kananaskis via southbound Highway 40 via the Highwood Pass. No northbound traffic is permitted, and the highway remains closed to outside traffic attempting to enter Kananaskis.
• 511 Alberta is the best source of real time information as conditions change on our highways. Follow on X (formerly known as Twitter) @511alberta.

Emergency preparedness

• Get ready for emergencies and disasters by taking simple steps now. To be prepared, Albertans need to know what to do, where to go and have enough supplies for a week or more. Supplies include food, water, medications and important documents. Include supplies for pets as well.
• Read more about emergency preparedness.

Related information

• State of Local Emergency in Kananaskis Country | Kananaskis Country | Alberta Parks
• Alberta Emergency Alerts
• Download the Alberta Emergency Alerts app
• Download the Alberta Wildfire app
• Wildfire smoke information