Heavy rainfall, snowmelt leads to flood warnings in northeastern Ontario

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has a flood warning in place for parts of northeastern Ontario, near Sault Ste. Marie and Blind River, where several highways are closed.

In an update the ministry said the flood warning will remain in effect until May 6.

"Residents throughout the district, especially those located in the Goulais River watershed area, should keep a close watch on water conditions, and stay away from fast-moving rivers  and streams," the update said.

As of Wednesday morning, part of Highway 17 north of Sault Ste. Marie was closed in both directions due to flooding.

Highway 546, north of Iron Bridge, was also closed because of flooding.

The ministry said a combination of heavy rainfall in some areas and melting snowpack was responsible for the flooding.

Ontario Provincial Police also said Highway 65 is closed between Elk Lake and Highway 66 due to a washout. It said the closure could be for several days as crews work on repairs.

There are also flood warnings in place for parts of Greater Sudbury, around the Vermillion River between Chelmsford and Whitefish.

"Some of those areas are seeing water over the roads. And residents are having to navigate that as they go back and forth from their homes," said Carl Jorgensen, the general manager of Conservation Sudbury.