First-of-its-kind map outlines Canada’s future flood zones

The first flood map of its kind demonstrates how low-lying areas of some of Canada’s major cities could become flooded within the next 80 years.

The maps were developed by Slobodan Simonovic, engineering professor emeritus and flood-control expert at Western University. Spanning the entire country, they predict flood activity over the next 80 years based on various climate change scenarios caused by global warming.

“[This] was the continuation of our interest in understanding better what are the impacts of climate change on natural disasters in general,” Simonovic told CTV News Channel on Sunday. “My part of the project was to look at how flooding will be affected by climate change.”

The interactive maps are a combination of about 150,000 reference documents, including current and historical rainfall and snow-melt data, topographic analyses, and various climate projections. Using web-based maps, Simonovic illustrates flood frequency, depth and inundation in both the present and future.

Major parts of the country that could be affected include parts of Montreal and Vancouver, Simonovic said, among others.