Overland flood watches upgraded to warnings as Manitoba braces for more rain

The Manitoba government says the risk for overland flooding has increased for parts of the province already under a flood watch.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre upgraded the overland flood watches issued for a portion of southwest Manitoba and the southeast corner of the province to overland flood warnings Wednesday afternoon.

“An overland flood warning indicates a higher probability of overland flooding occurring based on forecast precipitation, whereas an overland flood watch indicates that overland flooding is possible but not as likely to occur,” the province explained in a flood bulletin Wednesday.

It comes as Environment Canada is forecasting a storm starting Thursday could bring as much as 60 mm of rain to parts of southern Manitoba.

View image in full screen

An overland flood watch continues for the rest of southern and central Manitoba, including Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg.

The province says the weather system expected to arrive Thursday could bring between 20 mm and 40 mm of rain over three days, with the majority of it falling Friday.

The province says some localized areas could receive more than 40 mm.

Heavy snowfall and spring rainstorms have already left many parts of Manitoba flooded, and some 30 municipalities and First Nations are under local states of emergency.

1:42 Peguis flood update – May 10

The latest rains, which fell over southern and central Manitoba earlier this week, brought 20-40 mm of precipitation, the province says.

Roads have been washed out, homes have flooded and evacuations have been necessary from some communities, including hard-hit Peguis First Nation, where some 1,900 people have been forced from their homes.

Flood warnings remain in place for most parts of the Red River north of Emerson, except for Winnipeg.

Flood warnings are also in place for the Pembina, Morris and Little Morris rivers, Shannon and Netley creeks, Fisher and Icelandic rivers, the Assiniboine River from the Shellmouth Dam to Brandon, Birdtail Creek, the Whiteshell lakes area and the Whitemouth and Birch rivers.