New Brunswick residents who live in flood-prone areas will be keeping a nervous watch on river levels this weekend.
So far, rain and mild temperatures have caused relatively few problems, but officials warn that new ice jams are forming and conditions could worsen quickly.
Rain fell on the Hammond River Valley in southern New Brunswick on Friday, but for now, a section of the Hammond River remains ice free and is flowing freely.
“All the ice is up on the bank,” says Gary Gower, an angler who is familiar with the river system in the area. “That’s a bonus because this river is flowing well.”
The Kennebecasis River is over its banks in several locations, flooding some fields but not endangering any homes.
Flooding continues to inconvenience residents in the Dorchester and Hillsborough areas which are experiencing ongoing road closures.
River watchers are now turning their attention northward.
“For the next 10 days, 14-day forecast, we got a lot of rain and warm temperatures throughout the province,” says Gower.
“When you got temperatures of ten degrees and up in the Edmundston area, that’s when it gets tricky.”
While people in southern New Brunswick are keeping a close eye on river levels, a lot will depend on precipitation and the speed of snow melt on the upper St. John River.
“The snow in the upper St. John River melts and then comes down and starts to flood the lower St. John and Kennebecasis,” explains Sean Doyle of the Hammond River Conservation Centre.
“Then things will start to back up here because of that and we’ll get the second rise in water.”
The Hammond River Forecast Centre issued a statement Friday, warning residents to be prepared for ice movement this weekend and for flash flooding in the event of ice jams.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
