Red River floodway opens

Water began flowing in the Red River floodway for the first time this year at about 9:30 this morning after an ice jam at the gates cleared on its own overnight.

The Red is expected to crest in Winnipeg in the next couple of days at about 18 feet above winter ice levels. That’s slightly higher than flood forecasters predicted earlier, but no where near high enough to cause much flooding. Only about a dozen homes will need to sandbag as a precaution.

The ice jam threatened to delay the raising of the floodway gates on the Red River at St. Norbert, and officials from Water Stewardship were rushing in heavy equipment to clear the large pans of ice overnight. But the pack at the floodway’s inlet moved on its own.

From the Winnipeg Free Press

Links:
Manitoba Flood Forecasting Reports
North Dakota Flood Forecast Maps