EXPIRED | Flood Watch Update | March 23, 2023

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This flood message is no longer active.

Message # 2023-09

Issued:  11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 23, 2023

Subject:  FLOOD WATCH UPDATE – issued for Local Watercourses

Issued to: Municipalities of Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, Asphodel-Norwood, Otonabee-South Monaghan, Cavan Monaghan, City of Kawartha Lakes, City of Peterborough and Trent Hills, and Otonabee Conservation’s other partners in flood emergency management.

This FLOOD WATCH UPDATE is issued to alert municipalities and residents that floods are possible.

Weather

The Region will experience a double whammy of turbulent spring weather over the next few days. Today, Thursday, March 23rd, and again on Saturday, March 25th, spring storms will move through the Region, delivering a combined total of 30-40 millimeters (mm) of precipitation. Thursday’s event will deliver warm air temperatures and 5-10 mm of warm rain, further melting the snowpack. However, there is uncertainty about Saturday’s type and amount of precipitation. If the freezing line is north of the Region, then rainfall and snowmelt will also dominate on Saturday.

Expected Watershed Conditions and Flood Risk

The Region’s snowpack is compacted/saturated, and the ground is frozen/saturated, therefore both the snowpack and the ground are unable to absorb rainfall and snowmelt. Also, water levels/flows in area river, streams, and creeks are above normal. As a result, additional snowmelt and rainfall will cause:  

  • swelling of rivers, streams, creeks, and wetlands, with possibility of waters spilling over onto adjacent properties and roads, causing localized, nuisance level flooding, especially in low-lying areas. However, the Trent-Severn Waterway will not flood as a result of the spring storms over the next seven days.
  • ponding and pooling in low-lying areas and ditches with poor drainage, creating unsafe conditions.
  • weakening lake ice – while lake ice is not expected to weaken enough over the next 7 days to result in ice-cover break-up, it will create increasingly unsafe conditions.
  • riverine shore ice to break-free resulting in risk of ice jamming around water conveyance structures (i.e., culverts, bridges, and dams) and around obstructions such as fallen trees.

Residents and visitors are advised not to drive, cycle, or walk through flooded areas and to obey all road/traffic closures. Shoreline residents and businesses, especially those located in low-lying areas, are strongly encouraged to keep a close watch for possible flooding and to take action to limit or prevent damages due to potential flooding. Adults, parents, and caregivers are advised to keep themselves, children, and pets away from all waterways and conveyance structures (i.e., dams, culverts, and bridges).

Water levels can be monitored on-line at:

  1. Trent-Severn Waterway’s Water Management InfoNet
  2. Water Survey of Canada Real-Time Hydrometric Data 
  3. Otonabee Region Conservation Authority website

This FLOOD WATCH message will expire Thursday, March 30th, 2023, unless up-dated earlier.

For more information:
Gord Earle | Flood Forecasting & Warning Duty Officer | 705-745-5791 x 214
250 Milroy Drive, Peterborough, ON K9H 7M9
orcafloodduty@otonabeeconservation.com | Flood Watch Hotline 705-745-5791 x 228