A special weather statement has been issued in Chatham-Kent, and a flood watch is in effect by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, as strong winds are expected along the Lake Erie shoreline.
“Onshore southeast winds of 40 gusting to 60 km/h near Lake Erie tonight, Wednesday, and Wednesday night,” Environment Canada officials stated.
“East to southeast winds of 40 gusting to 60 km/h are forecast to develop near the Lake Erie shore late this evening. This wind will continue through Wednesday and then begin to diminish early Thursday.”
Forecasters are asking people to continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.
LTVCA officials say weather forecasts are calling for moderate to strong winds every day for the rest of the week.
“After a brief lull, winds are predicted to pick up again overnight Tuesday and remain moderate to strong into Thursday morning,” LTVCA officials said in a media release.
“Some forecasts are predicting winds could approach 45 km/hr from the south or southeast late on Wednesday. Thursday is starting to get a bit far out for wind forecasts, but long range forecasts suggest generally southerly winds above 25 km/hr for Thursday and northwest winds above 25 km/hr on Friday. In addition to the winds, there are rainfall totals of 20 to 35 mm predicted for late Tuesday through Thursday.”
LTVCA officials added: “Although the wind speeds in the forecasts are not considered particularly strong, the record high water levels on Lake Erie are making the shoreline particularly vulnerable. While winds are generally out of the south, they will be driving waves onto our Lake Erie shoreline throughout Chatham-Kent and Elgin County. There is some risk that wave action could damage shoreline protection works and cause erosion all along the shoreline, including along the high bluff areas.”
LTVCA officials say while winds are out of the southeast, there is an increased risk for east facing shoreline communities such as Shrewsbury, the Rose Beach Line area, and areas around Wheatley.
“Recently, Erie Shore Drive has seen flooding with wind speeds above 25 km/hr from a generally southerly direction,” LTVCA officials say.
“Such conditions are expected for most of the week, so low level flooding could be expected any day this week. Higher winds predicted for late Wednesday could lead to more severe flooding along Erie Shore Drive. There would also be a greater risk late Wednesday for other shoreline areas and communities due to the higher winds predicted at that time.”
The rain in the forecast could also cause flooding in low lying shoreline areas, LTVCA officials added.
“Due to the high lake levels, the groundwater table is high and storm water sewer systems and local watercourses are full with lake water,” officials say.
“As a result, rainwater is not draining properly from these areas. Any water from upstream making its way downstream on these watercourses into these shoreline areas could cause additional flooding. The community of Shrewsbury is one example of an area vulnerable to this.”
The flood watch will be in effect until May 2, 2020.
