It’s the beginning of the end of flood season in Winnipeg: Provincial flood officials say the Red River is finally cresting in Winnipeg, reaching levels of 19.56 feet at James Avenue.
Levels increased 0.07 feet since Tuesday, and flows at James Avenue were almost 58,600 cubic feet per second, which is enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every two seconds.
It appears that the waters may stick around for longer than usual, as water levels at all points upstream on the Assiniboine River have reached record levels, and are expected to increase further before cresting in Brandon between May 11 and 13. Despite this inflow from the Assiniboine, which will stabilize the level and prolong the crest in Winnipeg, officials say the flows on the Red River will actually decrease and start to decline after two days.
Water levels on the Red River downstream of Winnipeg actually decreased at all points Tuesday, helping to make up for significant increases caused by the weekend storm systems. Officials say that without flood protection measures and use of the flood way, water levels at James Avenue would have been at 30.9 feet, 11.4 feet higher than current levels.
Meanwhile, a young intrepid YouTube user videotaped the flooding situation, along the banks of the Red River. On the video, uploaded May 3, 2011, a boy can be heard saying “this is supposed to be the crest…”
Watch video along banks of the Red River
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