PROVINCE WARNS PEOPLE IN WINNIPEG AREA TO STAY OFF RED RIVER AS LEVELS RISE AND ICE WEAKENS
The Province of Manitoba has issued a warning advising people in the Winnipeg area to stay off the Red River.
It is expected that starting today high water from the Unites States makes its way North raising river levels 8 to 10 feet and possibly weakening and breaking the ice. Increased water in the red will also influence the level of the Assiniboine River in and around the Forks area.
Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre (MIHFC) says that recent warm weather extended into the northern U.S. melting surface snow and raising water levels in the Red River Basin.
Other rivers and lakes in southern Manitoba may also be hazardous and MIHFC is strongly advising that people use extreme caution when venturing out onto what appears to be frozen waterways due to thin ice conditions.
Falling through thin ice can have fatal consequences. Rivers can be especially hazardous as ice thickness can vary in the same area of a river. Ice tends to be weaker toward the middle of the river, although there may be exceptions. Areas of fast-flowing water tend to have thin ice which may not be visible.
Earlier on Saturday the Forks announced that the Red River Mutual Trail was partially reopened between the forks and the Norwood Bridge. Due to the changing conditions of the ice the forks have now closed the Red River Mutual Trail to all.
-News4 Staff-
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