Saturated fields in southwest Winnipeg on Sunday, April 24, 2022. (CHRISD.CA FILE)
Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre is warning residents about hazardous ice conditions as the spring thaw begins in southern Manitoba and the U.S. portion of the Red River basin.
Rising temperatures are causing river flows and water levels to increase, weakening ice on rivers, lakes, and drainage ditches.
Officials caution that while ice may still appear solid, it is becoming dangerously thin and cannot support people, snowmobiles, or vehicles. The province is also reducing outflows from the Shellmouth Dam from 680 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 300 cfs, which could further weaken ice along the Assiniboine River between Shellmouth and Brandon.
Residents are urged to stay off frozen waterways, including rivers, lakes, and retention ponds, and to prevent children and pets from venturing onto the ice.
