Watch above: There was a temporary reprieve for some communities in Quebec and New Brunswick, but in Ontario floodwaters have continued to rise. Christina Stevens reports.
TORONTO – With the waters rising across parts of Quebec and New Brunswick, it’s clear that the spring flooding season is upon us, right across the country.
Maritimes
Following a winter with heavy snow and a spring that dumped over 130 mm of rain in the month of March alone, and coupled with ice jams, New Brunswick is dealing with some serious flooding.
READ MORE: Parts of New Brunswick flooding due to rising waters and ice jams
On Wednesday, the Village of Sussex Corner declared a local state of emergency. Some residents were evacuated as water levels rose to dangerous levels. According to River Watch 2014, there were “ice jams on the Middle River, near Bathurst; four jams on the Southwest Miramichi; three jams on the Nashwaak River, the Tobique River and on the main St. John River; below Woodstock, between Woodstock and Hartland and upstream of Baker Brook.”
On the Upper St. John River, there is the possibility that the Upper St. John River could approach a flood stage in Clair on Thursday. Maugerville is also approaching the flood stage. On the Lower St. John River, Fredericton reached the flood stage and is expected to remain so for Thursday.
There are no flood alerts in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland or Prince Edward Island.
Quebec
Due to Wednesday’s heavy rain, along with the snow melt, about 600 homes were evacuated in Sherbrooke. However, officials said that they soon may be able to return home.
The problem arose when the Saint-François River rose nearly eight metres higher than normal. As of Thursday morning, the water had receded by as much as six metres.
Ontario
A long, cold and particularly snowy winter has lead to waters beginning to rise across the province.
Flood warnings and watches are in effect from northern Ontario (Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay) to Midhurst in southwestern Ontario to Peterborough in eastern Ontario.
Residents can find flood information for their area here by visiting Conservation Ontario.
Manitoba
In Winnipeg, it is anticipated that ice along the Red River upstream of the floodway may still be intact. If so, the Red River will crest within the city. Rain in the forecast could also create flooding conditions.
The province issued its flood outlook at the end of March and found that in general, potential for flooding would be near normal, the one exception being the The Pas region. The Pas has higher-than-normal soil moisture levels and above-normal snowpack water content.
The Amphibex, an ice-breaker designed to prevent ice jams that lead to flooding, has already broken a 28-kilometre, 100-metre-wide channel down the centre of the Red River downstream of Netley Lake through to Selkirk. The Amphibex has also broken more ice in several other locations.
To find more information on flooding in Manitoba, click here.
Saskatchewan
The Government of Saskatchewan issued its Spring Runoff Outlook for April and, with the exception of the central part of the province, including Prince Albert, most of the province is expected to see normal runoff.
Alberta
As of Thursday, there are no flood warnings or watches for the province.
Above-seasonal temperatures across the province resulted in a sharp increase in water levels. However, cooling temperatures have helped slow that and some areas, such as in the creeks of Kneehills County, have seen waters recede.
And though the mountain snowpack is above average, the melt isn’t expected to cause a significant rise in water levels as daytime temperatures will remain just slightly above freezing, allowing for a slower melt.
For more information on the flood situation, click here.
British Columbia
As of Thursday, Emergency Management BC has reported on flood reports. However, as with most of Canada, officials in the North Okanagan have seen higher-than-normal snow pack levels and are bracing for floods.
To find the current flood situation in your region, click here.
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