Heavy rain could prompt some flooding in Brampton

Published January 24, 2020 at 8:50 pm

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) says a flood outlook is in effect for Brampton. 

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) says a flood outlook is in effect for Brampton. 

CVC says the recent forecast from the Surface Water Monitoring Centre of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry suggests 15 to 25mm of rain could fall over GTA. The rain is expected to start this evening and taper off by Saturday afternoon.

A combination of rain, ice or snow may be possible as temperatures will be hovering near the freezing mark.    

CVC says ice has been moving along the Credit River since the recent brief freezing period.

“Shelf ice has been observed at some locations, however, no solid river cover was observed at the monitored locations along the Credit River. The brief period of freezing may not be sufficient to form component solid river ice or large volumes of river ice,” CVC says.  

CVC says water levels have dropped since the heavy rains of two weekends ago, but are still high for this time of the year. 

“Higher water levels and faster flows may help to flush the frazil ice downstream towards the lake and prevent the formation of a solid ice cover. However, higher water levels require less runoff to flood low lying areas,” CVC says.  

“Melting of the existing snowpack will add to the runoff in the watercourse. Warmer temperatures will result in more rain and less ice or snow. Depending on the form of precipitation received, flooding in low lying areas along the Credit River and its major tributaries may occur. Onshore wind and waves Friday and Saturday may result in flooding and erosion along the Lake Ontario shoreline,” CVC says. 

Local streams, rivers, and shorelines remain dangerous, especially in the vicinity of culverts, bridges and dams.

People should stay away from all watercourses and take extra care to ensure that pets and children stay away as well.  

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