Current Flood Message.

September 2, 2008

The MNR provides flood forecast messages to conservation authorities and municipalities to enable them to prepare for, track and manage local flooding. Flood forecast messages are not flood warnings.

Your local conservation authority (CA) or municipality issues flood warnings. For more information on your local situation, check with your conservation authority or municipality. If you live in a community that is not serviced by a conservation authority, any flood advisories or flood warnings in your area are issued by the nearest MNR district office. Who to Contact

Local Messages Issued by:

MNR Districts:

• None 

Conservation Authorities:

• None

MNR Southern Region

Water levels and flows for the southern region are within the seasonal range for this time of year.  Generally, above average precipitation conditions across the region have avoided low water conditions typically experienced during August over the past several years.  There currently are no CAs in a confirmed low water condition compared to 15 Level I and 8 Level II declarations for the beginning of September 2007.

Precipitation forecasts for the next five days range from 5-15mm across most of the region and up to 20mm along the Bruce Peninsula.

MNR Northeastern Region

Water levels and flows for the region are within the seasonal range.

Precipitation forecasts for the next five days range from 10-30 mm for this area, with higher amounts possible with localized thunderstorms.

MNR Northwestern Region

Water levels are slightly higher then would be expected for this time of year, but within the normal variation.

Significant rainfall ranging from 80-100+mm have been observed in areas around Trout Lake, Sandy Lake, and to the northern portions of this region over the last 24hours.  The associated cold front will continue to bring additional rainfall early this week.

Forecast precipitation accumulations for the next five days range from 20-50mm, with an area from Peawanuck to Sioux Lookout possibly seeing amounts exceeding 100mm.
 

Warning Levels

FLOOD WARNING: flooding is imminent or occurring within specific watercourses and municipalities.

FLOOD ADVISORY: potential for flooding exists within specific watercourses and municipalities.

FLOOD SAFETY AND WATERSHED CONDITIONS BULLETIN: unsafe lake, river and channel conditions exist.

What MNR Does

Protecting lives, property and resources from floods and other natural hazards is an important part of MNR’s work. To do that, we must be able to forecast when there is a risk of flooding and help limit the impact if a flood does happen. More than 4,000 sensors feed information from approximately 1,200 stations across the province.

The Surface Water Monitoring Centre in Peterborough uses high-tech equipment to monitor water levels on lakes, rivers and streams in Ontario.

Experts at the centre routinely review:

• detailed, current weather conditions
• weather satellites
• weather radar
• stream flow and levels
• soil moisture condition
• snowpack information
• ice break-up potential.

This provides reliable and timely information about the potential for flooding to occur.