Water levels are rising along the Saint John River basin as the remaining snow continues to melt in northwestern New Brunswick.
But the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (NBEMO) says this year’s spring freshet has been unfolding “pretty well” so far.
Spokesperson Geoffrey Downey said the weather — which is the determining factor in how a flood season plays out — has been cooperating.
“The temperatures in the north have been above freezing during the day … and dipping back below freezing at night, and we haven’t really been getting that much precipitation,” Downey said in an interview Wednesday.
While the snow is all but gone across southern New Brunswick, the same cannot be said in the north.
Downey said there is an average of 50 centimetres of snow still left on the ground in northern regions.
As that snow continues to melt, the Saint John River is “definitely rising across the board,” he said.
Only one community, Saint-Hilaire in the northwest, is expected to surpass flood stage on Saturday. The latest forecast shows Gagetown could come within 40 centimetres of flood stage by Monday.
“Just because the river is not at flood stage in your community doesn’t mean it doesn’t pose a threat,” said Downey.
“Things are looking really good, but as we’ve seen in years past, things can change really quickly. If it does start to rain, if it does start getting really warm in the northwest, then the river is going to start rising even faster.”
NBEMO said you should keep watercraft off rivers and avoid the banks of waterways as they become dangerous this time of year.
“It’s moving quickly, it’s cold, there’s ice, there’s trees, there’s all kinds of stuff moving through it. It’s not time to wander down and see how quickly it’s moving and put your foot in or anything like that,” said Downey.
Residents living in traditional flood-prone areas should move belongings to higher ground to prepare in the event of flooding.
You can find more details on the River Watch website.
