It could be another wet spring in the eastern Prairies.
Manitoba’s natural resources department says there’s a risk of “significant flooding” on the Red, Assiniboine and Souris rivers this spring.
The amount of risk will be dictated by how much moisture arrives in the next couple of months and how quickly the snow melts.
Meanwhile, forecasters in the other prairie provinces say flooding is possible in parts of Saskatchewan but unlikely for most of Alberta.
Red River
In Manitoba, the threat of flooding along the Red River is driven mainly by above average soil moisture and snow cover in much of the United States portion of the watershed. Little runoff is expected from most of the Red’s tributaries in Manitoba unless the coming months deliver a glut of precipitation.
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Flooding is likely along a stretch of the Assiniboine River between St. Lazare and Brandon. Water levels are expected to be somewhat higher than those of 1997, when some flooding of farmland occurred.
The Souris River is also expected to spill over this spring. The area affected stretches from the U.S. border to Hartney, Man. Flooding is forecast there due to high snow cover and soil moisture throughout the watershed.
The threat of flooding in Manitoba could be reduced by a slow thaw this spring and moderate precipitation in the coming months.
Alberta’s flood forecasters say moisture in the northern and southern regions of Alberta is below normal. Although there is a band of above-average snowpack in the province’s central region, chances of serious flooding are remote.
Flooding might occur in an area that extends from Lloydminster up to Cold Lake and across to Edmonton and Edson. Based on current conditions, flooding along the main rivers flowing through that area is not expected, said Dave Ealey of Alberta Environmental Protection.
However, some flooding of farmland may occur along tributaries feeding into those rivers.
Things are not much different for most of Saskatchewan, but there are areas where localized flooding is expected.
Above average snowfall has been recorded in the Souris, Moose Jaw River and Wascana Creek basins. That could mean some flooding of farmland along low-lying areas within those basins.
Above normal runoff is also expected in the Qu’Appelle River basin.
