Cold temperatures should prevent major flooding after storm, province's flood forecasters say
CBC
As Manitobans brace for a one-in-a-generation storm, provincial officials say cold temperatures will be on our side in the flood fight.
Environment Canada is forecasting widespread snowfall of 30-50 centimetres for Manitoba as a Colorado low tracks over the province starting Tuesday night and lasting until Friday.
It's definitely concerning, but the low temperatures in the forecast will likely prevent a major flood event, said Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk during a news conference Monday where he and other officials answered questions on how the province is preparing for the storm.
"If we do get a bunch of amount of snow, this is actually ideal for a slow melt," he said.
In contrast, an April 2011 winter storm was immediately followed by high temperatures which melted all the snow right away, he said.
"This actually allows that volume of water to move into the city, around the floodway, into Lake Winnipeg," he said.
"Hopefully in five or six days, the rivers will be able to take a lot of that water that's coming from the west and from the south."
This time around, the snow melt isn't expected to start until April 20, by which time water levels along the Red River and its tributaries should have dropped down, said Fisaha Unduche, who leads the province's hydrologic forecasting and water management team.
"So rivers will have more capacity and that's what we're expecting for now."
The Red River has now reached its peak between Emerson and St. Adolphe, the province said Saturday.
The province began operating the Red River Floodway on Friday morning in an effort to lower high water on the river through Winnipeg.
News of the impending storm prompted some Manitobans to buy generators and stock up on groceries Monday.
Piwniuk said Manitobans should get their shopping out of the way Monday or Tuesday before the storm hits, and be prepared to hunker down for a couple of days.
"If you have to drive anywhere, drive now," he said.
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