Major risk of flooding on Red River this spring, predicts Manitoba government

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Peggy

There is a major risk of flooding on the Red River this spring, according to Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre.

On Wednesday, the centre released its March spring flood outlook, which shows high risk on the Red River, but low to moderate risk of flooding in most other basins.

According to the Hydrologic Forecast Centre, the reason the Red River is at a major risk of flooding is due to recent weather events in the United States.

Areas where the flood risk is low to moderate include the Interlake region, along the Fisher and Icelandic Rivers, and the Assiniboine River. The risk is also low along several other rivers including Souris, Roseau, Rat and Pembina. Water levels in these areas are expected to stay below flood protection levels.

The province notes there is also a low flooding risk for most other basins, including the Saskatchewan River, the Whiteshell Lakes area and northern Manitoba. Most Manitoba lakes, other than Dauphin Lake and Lake St. Martin, are expected to remain within operating ranges after the spring run-off.

Manitoba has completed ice-cutting and breaking along the Red and Icelandic Rivers in order to prevent ice jam-related flooding. The province also expects to operate the Red River Floodway and Portage Diversion this spring.

Manitoba notes that the risk of flooding could change depending on the weather conditions from now until the spring melt.

The Manitoba government will discuss the outlook during a news conference at 11:45 a.m. CTV News Winnipeg will live-stream the event.

The full March 2023 spring flood outlook report is available online.

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