WINNIPEG (Staff) – At first, the cold spring weather was a blessing for people who live in the Red River Valley.
Now, it’s a curse, says Larry Whitney of the natural resources department.
Whitney said flooding in mid-April was curtailed by the unseasonal cold temperatures. But a late-April snowstorm that dumped between 20 and 35 millimetres of snow on the valley helped bring the river closer to 1979 levels.
“The weather was so cool that the local runoff didn’t occur until the water was coming up from the … United States and the two kind of combined to give us the levels we’re experiencing now,” Whitney said.
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He added flooding will not surpass 1979 levels unless there is more precipitation. The forecast until May 2 called for sunny skies.
Hundreds of volunteers and about 60 army reservists spent last Sunday sandbagging near St. Adolphe and in the rural municipality just south of Winnipeg.
Moved to safety
About 60 people in the area voluntarily evacuated their homes and are staying with relatives, friends and in hotels, according to officials.
As of April 29, parts of 22 roads were closed in the Red River and Pembina valleys, and near Selkirk. The main provincial highway going from Winnipeg to the U.S. border was also closed.
In other areas of the province, the natural resources department reports flooding on the Assiniboine River near Virden was expected to end this week. But flooding on the Souris River upstream from Hartney will continue until at least the middle of the month.
