NORTH BAY – THE Ministry of Natural Resources is giving early notice of the potential for flooding in the northern reaches of the Montreal River and Ottawa-Kipawa watersheds.

On May 2 it advised:

One to ten millimetres of rainfall is forecast over the next five days.

Daytime temperatures are expected to mostly be in the double digits with nighttime temperatures mostly remaining above the freezing mark or close to it.

Water levels are high for this time of year. Ground conditions are either frozen or saturated and have had little capacity to absorb recent rainfall and runoff. Warming temperatures have accelerated snowmelt in the north, increasing inflows into northern water systems. Shorelines and ice (where it exists) remain unstable.

Significant flooding is not expected; however, any further rainfall, snowmelt and runoff could result in continued flooding in low-lying areas which have a history of flooding.