The flood outlook for southern Manitoba has improved in the last week, according to the province.
The executive director of hydrologic forecasting and water management, Fisaha Unduche, says the short-range weather forecast points to a continued slow melt.
Unduche said Friday that the downgraded flood outlook applies to the Assiniboine River and various regions across the province.
“This is very good news, because Mother Nature has been cooperating very favourably,” Unduche said.
“That’s why we have downgraded our flood projections from our March outlook. The near-zero to slightly above zero temperatures in the past two weeks are creating a very gradual melt.”
Unduche said the first peak of the Red River at Emerson is expected around Wednesday.
Transportation and infrastructure minister Doyle Piwniuk said the province’s updated predictions — based on weather conditions and current flows — show a downgrade similar to levels the province experienced in 2017, although emergency measures workers are still preparing for potential trouble spots.
In a release, the province said it has also installed nine new real-time gauges to monitor water levels in reservoirs across southern Manitoba.
Other repairs and upgrades aimed at mitigating flood risks include ongoing work at the Rapid City dam, and repairs to dikes and pump stations at the province’s major basins.
Piwniuk said despite the improved outlook, the province is still expecting it will need to operate the Red River Floodway and the Portage Diversion this year.
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