The City of Red Deer now says the Red Deer River is expected to peak between 4 and 6 p.m. Friday.
An evacuation order was lifted earlier for residents adjacent to the McKenzie Trail Recreation Area. They remain on a one-hour evacuation notice though.
The city does not believe the situation will be as hazardous as predicted on Thursday evening.
“We’re expecting something approximating the one-in-100 year flood plain,” said city manager Craig Curtis on Friday morning.
Curtis said the expectation is that the current situation will bring similar, although still lower, water levels to the flood of 2005.
The city evacuated six residences on 40th Avenue adjacent to the McKenzie Trail Recreation Area at 7 a.m. Friday morning based on overnight projections, but allowed residents to return to their homes at 9:45 a.m.
Warnings have also been delivered to residents south of the river in the 56th Street and Woodlea area, although they have not been asked to evacuate.
A local state of emergency was put in place at 8 p.m. on Thursday night, in response to Alberta Environment’s notice that water would be released from the Dickson Dam.
An evacuation of Lions Campground began at 9 p.m. last night, and was completed at midnight.
An Alberta Environment flood warning remains in effect for Red Deer.
City staff continue to monitor the situation and note that the outlook could change at any time.