Heather Wright/The Independent

Warmer weather and rain could lead to some flooding in Lambton.

That according to Andrew McIntyre, the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority’s interim flood forecaster. 

A weather system bringing 20 to 35 mm of rain and above-freezing temperatures. There is still a lot of frozen water held in the snow on the ground and the ground is saturated and has little ability to soak up more water.

McIntyre says this means rain and melting snow will quickly run off into local watercourses and overflow into the low-level areas usually prone to flooding. 

McIntyre was reviewing the snow pack Tuesday and said while there is a lot of ice on local waterways and there is a possibility of flooding, this week’s weather is not all bad.

“It might not be the like the worst thing, because if we get rid of some of the snowpack now, then it gets cold again and holds on for a little bit, then when we get the full on spring flooding, hopefully it won’t be as bad,” he says. 

McIntyre is also hopeful the thick ice won’t cause problems. “The water was quite low this summer and fall and we actually declared a low water level one status in the fall, so that should help things – there should be more room for the ice to break up and pool and pond.”