Warm weather and rain this week have triggered a flood watch from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).
Officials are expecting significant snow melts and elevated flows in the rivers and streams across the entire watershed.
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“The combination of melting snow and rainfall is expected to push river levels higher, resulting in minor flooding in low-lying areas typically prone to flooding,” the authority said in a statement on Wednesday.
The warm weather also has the potential to create ice jams in areas prone to these conditions.
“The public is reminded to exercise extreme caution around all water bodies,” the authority advised.
“Banks adjacent to rivers and streams are very slippery at this time and, when combined with current weather conditions, pose a serious hazard.”
Parents are being told to keep their children and pets away from all bodies of water and off frozen ice.
Temperatures are expected to drop on Friday, which should lower the risk, officials said.