Barring any heavy precipitation, there shouldn’t be any more flooding on the Thames River this season, conservation authority officials says.
Water management supervisor Jason Wintermute of the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority said “the spring flooding season is now over” for the area along the river.
“The river has all melted out, and there really isn’t any snow left in the upper Thames or lower Thames,” he said on Wednesday. “There isn’t much risk of additional water from a melt or anything affecting us.”
Conservation authority officials, as well as municipal public works crews, were kept particularly busy this year, especially in February when an ice jam at the mouth of the river – combined with localized dike failures – resulted in flooding.
The failure of the jam to move at that time resulted in an uncertain, and for many residents, tense situation, along with a smaller-scale state of emergency in Chatham-Kent for the affected areas.
Just last week, the conservation authority issued a safety bulletin due to significant amounts of precipitation in the forecast, which eventually turned into blowing snow for much of the region.
Environment Canada is now forecasting rain for Thursday and Friday, as well as Monday and Tuesday.
Temperatures are expected to rise as well, hitting highs of 17 C and 18 C on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Double-digit temperatures will continue into next week.
However, Wintermute said the conditions so far likely mean the area is in the clear.
“The only flood risk would be if we got some kind of insane amount of rain,” he said.
Officials always urge people to use caution around the river, ditches and streams, as the combination of slippery banks and fast-moving cold water can be dangerous.
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