Flood waters on the decline but more rain in the forecast

Flood waters have inundated parts of Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue shown above. More rain is forecast this weekend. (Photo: Valley Weather)

Flood Warning remains posted for the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Valley.

State of Emergency remains in effect for Montreal. 

Leave your sandbags full and exactly where they are for now.

Please, show respect for those suffering and stop adding water to the flood by emptying your swimming pools, regardless of where you live in metro Montreal.

The historic flooding along the Ottawa River impacting the western suburbs of Montreal and the off island communities, is starting to slowly recede. Warm sunshine filtered through high clouds on Wednesday, as municipalities began to tally up the losses. Deep water remains in many locations, with hundreds of thousands of sandbags piled feet high. Over 4000 Quebec homes have been inundated. The need remains great, donate or volunteer if you can.

On Tuesday, water levels fell just enough for the MTQ to reopen the Galipeault Bridge. The main artery along Highway 20 connecting L'Ile Perrot and Vaudreuil to Montreal, had been closed since Sunday evening. Flood waters remain high, but according to Hydro Meteo, the flood has crested and water levels are on the decline on the Ottawa River, Lake of Two Mountains, Riviere des Praires and the Milles Iles River.

Such is not the case for the St Lawrence River, where levels are at historic heights, with more water pouring into the system from a swollen Lake Ontario. The Moses-Saunders Dam in Cornwall is scheduled to be open wider this weekend to allow more water to flow into the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lac St Louis. This may have an impact on communities that have so far been spared any flooding. The water levels on Lake Ontario are the highest they have been in over 20 years.

Heavy Rain This Weekend
More rain is in the forecast late Saturday and Sunday in southern Quebec, as a strengthening storm moves along the US eastern seaboard. Depending on the exact track, a period of heavy rain and strong northeast winds is possible. Amounts are difficult at this time to pinpoint, with the system still in development, but more than 25mm (1 inch) is possible. This is of great concern to anybody battling the epic spring flooding. Stay tuned.