New Brunswick flood watch expecting quiet spring

FREDERICTON -

Officials responsible for monitoring flooding in New Brunswick say they expect a quiet season after a mild winter with less snow than usual in the province.

However, the province's annual River Watch program, which brings together provincial agencies including the Environment Department to monitor spring water levels, says people should not let their guard down as thaw sets in.

Kyle Leavitt, the director of the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, told reporters officials are optimistic the flood risk is low because of an early melt and a winter in which the province received about a third of its normal snowfall.

He says there is a risk of flooding from ice jams as the ice breaks up.

Don Fox, director of air and water sciences with the provincial Environment Department, warned people that flooding depends on day-to-day weather, which can change quickly and New Brunswickers living along a waterway should remain vigilant until the snow is completely gone.

Jill Maepea, meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, says that except for the province's extreme south, most of New Brunswick saw below average rain and snow this year, while temperatures were two to three degrees above normal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2024.

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