Red River approaches peak for season in Manitoba

The Red River is nearing its peak for the season from the United Statesborder to the floodway outlet south of Winnipeg, according to Manitoba's hydrologic forecast centre.

The river is still rising slightly from the southern Manitoba community of Emerson near the border to the floodway inlet but is expected to crest by Saturday, information from daily provincial flood sheets and forecast hydrographs shows.

The river is flowing at a volume below other recent floods in 2019, 2020 and 2022, the forecast centre said.

For example,the river volume at Ste. Agathe, Man., on Wednesday was slightly more than 50,000 cubic feet per second, which is only two-thirds of the peak flow during last spring's flood.

Within Winnipeg, the Red River appears to have crested at James Avenue, where river levels are most commonly noted. The Assiniboine River crested last week, reducing inflows into the Red River upstream of James Avenue.

The highest level for the Red River this spring so far was 17.9 feet above normal winter ice levels at James Avenue on April 30, according to the City of Winnipeg.That riverhas been receding slightly within the city ever since.

If there is no second crest, the Red River should recede below the level of the river walk near The Forks within the next four tosevenweeks, based on the rate the river has dropped at the tail end of previous flood seasons. Rainfall will determine how fast the river will recede.