Watershed Conditions Statement – Flood Outlook gives early notice of the potential for flooding based on weather forecasts calling for heavy rain, snow melt, high wind or other conditions that could lead to high runoff, cause ice jams, lakeshore flooding, or erosion.

If you have a flood emergency, please contact your municipality. If you live in an unincorporated township, please contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) – North Bay District.
A Watershed Conditions Statement – Flood Outlook is in place for the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority watershed.

Current Conditions:
There is a low-density snowpack across the watershed, much of which accumulated after the snow survey on December 2, which had recorded an average of 11 mm snow water equivalent. Precipitation data from the North Bay Airport suggest there could be as much as 45 mm snow water equivalent in the snowpack now. Soils have not yet frozen in most areas across the watershed and water levels in the watershed are normal to slightly below normal for this time of year.
Current water levels can be viewed by searching Station Names “Ottawa River”, “Mattawa River”, “Chippewa Creek”, “La Vase River”, “Wasi River”, and “Lake Nipissing” at https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/search/real_time_e.html

Forecasted Conditions:
Temperatures are above freezing today (Dec 10) and are forecast to be above freezing again early next week (Dec 15 to 17). An additional 7 mm of water equivalent (combined precipitation) is forecast over the next five days.
Water levels on the Ottawa River are managed by upstream dams and reservoirs operated by provincial and federal governments. Forecasts are available at https://ottawariver.ca/
The water level on Lake Nipissing is regulated by dams operated by the federal government. Forecasts are available at https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/ontario/eaux-water/renseignement-information-eng.html

Risk:
With the forecast warming, snowmelt is likely to occur, but the snowpack will moderate the released runoff. Lakes and rivers do not have solid ice and shoreline ice conditions are expected to be unstable. Wide-spread flooding is not expected; however, low-lying areas and flood-prone areas may experience some flooding.

All residents, especially those in low lying areas, are encouraged to monitor the conditions that are developing. Banks adjacent to rivers and creeks are very slippery at this time and when combined with cold open water, pose a serious hazard. The public is encouraged to keep children and pets away from watercourses and off waterbodies.

Municipalities are encouraged to monitor water crossings for debris that may affect the movement of water through culverts and bridges. A close watch on local conditions and updated forecasts and warnings from Environment Canada is also recommended.
Staff at the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority will continue to monitor weather and watershed conditions and update this message based on the changing weather and streamflow conditions.

This message will be in effect until (or updated before) Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at 4:00 PM EST.
The general public is advised of these messages through the www.nbmca.ca website with the flood status icon and a link to information about current conditions. NBMCA also circulates these messages to local media and social media, posting on Twitter (@theNBMCA), Instagram (nbmcainfo), and Facebook (NBMCA).

The public is invited to share photos of watershed conditions on social media using #NBMCAFlood.