
The Red River Floodway gates south of Winnipeg are shown on Friday, October 11, 2019. (CHRISD.CA FILE)
WINNIPEG — The province has issued a flood watch for the Red River from Emerson to the Red River Floodway inlet, just south of Winnipeg.
Officials with Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre say the river is forecast to spill over its banks at some locations with peak flows within the Red River Valley expected to occur between April 8 and 15.
With the operation of the Red River Floodway, water levels in Winnipeg at James Avenue are expected to peak between 17.3 and 18.3 feet between April 11 and 16. As of Monday, James Avenue is currently at 15 feet.
The province says a weather system is forecast to dump up to 30 millimetres of precipitation in most parts of southern Manitoba, including the United States portions of the Red River basin and tributaries.
The rainfall, paired with ongoing snowmelt, could raise levels above their bank-full capacities at some locations within the Red River Valley.