Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Monday, February 26, 2018

Today – Sunny. Wind southwest 20 km/h. High 10. UV index 3 or moderate.

Tonight – Clear. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light early this evening. Low zero.

LTVCA: Flood warning remains in place

A flood warning remains in place by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority.

LTVCA officials say warm temperatures, melting snow and heavy rainfall over the last week have led to large amounts of flooding in the Thames River watershed.

“Pretty much all the snow in the Thames watershed has melted and there is no longer any ice cover on the Thames River,” LTVCA officials stated.

“Weather forecasts are calling for temperatures to remain above freezing until Friday. Long range forecasts are predicting clear skies until Thursday when the region may see rain again.”

Water levels on the Thames River are dropping throughout the watershed, from the upper reaches down to the mouth at Lighthouse Cove, LTVCA officials say.

In the Lower Thames, water levels through Middlesex and Elgin are down around 4 m and are draining out of the river flats. Around Thamesville, water levels are down around 1.8 m since their peak yesterday.

“The Thames River peaked in the City of Chatham yesterday evening at an elevation of around 180.2 m,” LTVCA officials say.

“This represents a total rise of approximately 5.25 m from normal levels. This elevation is somewhere between those observed during the floods of 1977 and 1968. Water levels are now down around 25 cm from the peak. There are still multiple road closures and flooded homes in the community.”

High water levels can be expected on the Lower Thames into the middle of next week for areas through Chatham-Kent and Lakeshore.

Many of the smaller local watercourses in the downstream portion of the watershed still have high water levels as the Thames River has backed up into them.

As the Thames River drops, so will the water in these watercourses.

“People should take extra caution and avoid the river, ditches, and streams,” LTVCA officials say.

“The combination of slippery banks, floating debris, and fast moving cold water can be dangerous. Standing water can also present its own unseen hazards. Children, pets and livestock should be kept away from the water.”

Officials will continue to monitor the situation and update this advisory if necessary.

This message will be in effect until February 27th, 2018.

SCRCA: Flooding warning still in place

As we reported on Sunday night, a flood warning remains in place by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority as well.

Full details, here.

Ice flowing in the Sydenham River in downtown #Wallaceburg on Saturday, February 24, 2018 @SCRCA_water pic.twitter.com/lZRg3e6aUs

— Sydenham Current (@SydenhamCurrent) 25 February 2018

Cabinet minister to visit Chatham-Kent today to view flooding

Bill Mauro, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs, will be visiting areas affected by flooding in Southwestern Ontario on Monday, February 26, 2018.

The schedule is as follows:

Brantford — 10:00 a.m. – Tour of flood-affected areas, departing from Brantford City Hall – 100 Wellington Square.

Thamesville — 2:10 p.m. – Tour of flood-affected areas, departing from Thamesville Fire Hall – 97 Industrial Rd.

Chatham — 3:30 p.m. – Tour of flood-affected areas, departing from Chatham-Kent Civic Centre – 315 King Street West.

All schools are open on Monday

Flood waters in Thamesville and Chatham have begun to recede.

All schools of the St. Clair Catholic District School Board and Lambton Kent District School Board will be open on Monday as normal; however, some bus routes may be affected by road closures.

Please visit the www.schoolbusinfo.com website for the latest information.

The EarlyON child care at Thamesville Area Central Public School and the Before-and-After School Program at Zone Township Central School will be open on Monday, February 26.

Chatham flooding photos

Here are some photos of the flooding in Chatham, taken by John F Tomecek:

Thamesville flooding

In case you missed it, check out this video featuring drone footage from Dresden resident Corey Vercauteren captured of the flooding in Thmesville on Friday, February 23.