Province issues warning for rising water levels north of Emerson, Man.

The government of Manitoba is warning of rising water levels along the Red River north of Emerson.

Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre said the warning comes after 80 millimetres of rain and snow in the United States portion of the Red River basin.

Dave Carlson, reeve of the Municipality of Emerson-Franklin, said he was surprised by the notice.

“The water’s been really low, (but) we have noticed it going up a bit,” he said.

Water levels have increased by about five feet near Emerson and will continue to rise closer to Winnipeg within the next week, the Forecast Centre said.

Even so, Carlson said “the water is still within its banks, so there’s really no concerns with regards to any kind of flooding. But I guess the real issue now becomes safety on the river.”

“As the waters rise, it tends to go underneath (the ice), and then it should crack up the layer of ice that’s there now,” he said. “The currents will really do their part as well, so it becomes very hazardous to be on the river because you don’t know–with those pressures–what can happen.”

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He said this is akin to fall a few years ago, when water rose, froze, then dropped, leaving two layers of ice.

“We did a water rescue back then,” he said. “You crack through the top layer (of ice), and then you end up on the second layer.”

Carlson said it’s not an even surface, like “landing on a countertop. IT’s like you’re landing on a wave that was frozen. So it’s very unstable, and very tricky to step on. Our hopes are that that (this) doesn’t happen this year with the fluctuating water levels.”

“This is definitely an unusual year,” he said. “Mother nature does what she does.”

The reeve said he urges people not to go on or near the ice. “If you think you know what the ice is doing, just know that it’s very unpredictable right now.” Carlson said not to go on for any reason.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure is expected to give flood outlooks for spring in late February and March as in previous years, the government said.

1:55 Manitoba communities prepare as Red River flood threat looms