Rainfall warning issued as Manitoba placed on flood watch again

WINNIPEG – Parts of Manitoba are under a rainfall warning Thursday morning, following a flood watch issued Wednesday by the provincial government.

Dauphin, Roblin, Winnipegosis, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Russell, Riding Mountain National Park, Ste. Rose, McCreary, Alonsa and Gladstone are all forecast to get heavy rains as the Assiniboine and Souris river levels rise in the province.

Rain and thunderstorms are bringing heavy downpours to parts of the alert area, Environment Canada said in a weather advisory.

Rainfall amounts of 20 to 40 millimetres are expected, but more than 50 mm could fall in some areas, the warning said, and localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.

The rain is expected to taper off in the warning area later this afternoon or early this evening.

Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre issued a rainfall flood watch Wednesday for southwestern Manitoba along the Assiniboine and Souris rivers.

The watershed has received 280 to 300 per cent above normal precipitation from Aug. 19 to Sept. 1, flood forecasters said in a news release Wednesday.

The rain forecast for Thursday could raise Assiniboine River flows to 14,000 to 15,000 cubic feet per second, flood forecasters said.

The province is trying to avoid using the Portage Diversion to take Assiniboine River flows north to Lake Manitoba because officials want the flood structure as free of water as possible for “critical repairs and maintenance,” the news release said Wednesday.

Overland flooding is possible downstream of the diversion and officials are working on flood protection.