Flood warning issued in Cambridge, Mill Run Trail and Soper Park closed
Minor ice jams form along Grand River near Brantford
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has upgraded its flood watch for the entire Grand River watershed to a combined flood warning and flood watch after the area saw between 20 and 40 millimeters of rain between Wednesday and noon Thursday.
The flood warning applies to the Speed River in Cambridge, Ont. The city has closed the Mill Run Trail in Hespeler, where it passes under Highway 401, as well as Soper Park and officials said on Twitter they will keep an eye on water levels throughout the city.
Meanwhile the flood watch remains in place for the rest of the Grand River watershed and the conservation authority said flooding is now expected in some low-lying areas.
Thick, strong ice had formed on the Grand River this winter. While some minor ice jams had been seen in the Brantford area on Thursday, no significant ice jams are expected, the GRCA said Thursday, but flood monitors are keeping a close eye on the situation just in case.
"Unfortunately with ice jams there isn't a lot of warning," GRCA spokesperson Cam Linwood said. "They can form in minutes and they can release in minutes as well. And that's one of the challenges of this time of year."
The water is expected to stay high and fast through the rest of the week.
While the rain had tapered off by Thursday afternoon, the threat of precipitation remained; up to 20 centimetres of snow was forecast for the area by Thursday evening.