You will want to be extra careful around area waterways in Chatham-Kent for at least the next couple of days.
Officials with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) say water levels in the Thames River watershed are expected to be higher than normal for the rest of the day Tuesday, adding that some of the smaller watercourses in the region have spilled their banks.
As a result, conservation authority staff have opened up the Indian-McGregor Creek Diversion Channel to protect Chatham's south end from flooding.
The water levels should come down over the next couple of days, though, with no significant rainfall in the forecast until Saturday. That follows about 25-35 mm of rain that fell on the region on Monday.
LTVCA officials say it's not clear how high the Thames River will get, but they're not expecting it to get as high as it did last week. Residents living in the Thamesville area could see some higher water levels because of an accumulation of broken up ice that's restricting the water flow in that stretch.
Further north, there could be some minor ice jamming and localized flooding along the Sydenham River between Wallaceburg and Dresden.
That's according to officials with the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. They also expect the water levels to gradually decrease in the next 48 hours.
Officials from both conservation authorities are reminding local residents to be extra cautious around rivers, ditches, and streams. The combination of slippery banks and broken or unstable ice with fast-moving water can be especially dangerous.
