Despite warmer temperatures forecast in the region this week, area conservation officials say flooding isn't yet a concern.
Jason Wintermute is with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA). He says the warming trend will be slow enough that it shouldn't cause any major issues in residential areas or on the waterways.
"At this point there isn't enough melting anticipated to cause the flows to rise up and cause break-up and ice jam flooding and that kind of stuff," says Wintermute. "So any kind of break-up and ice jam conditions is still a while out." He adds the long-range 14-day forecast looks good. "Because it's been so cold for so long and the snow hasn't consolidated down yet, we would need both a significant warm-up and a significant rain fall at the same time to produce flows that would lead to a break-up in ice jam flooding kind of situation."
Wintermute is also advising recreational users to watch for ice thickness levels on the lakes and rivers as the temperatures start to warm.