The City of Winnipeg is experiencing minor flood conditions for the first time in nearly three years.

At 7:17 p.m. on Monday, the Red River in Winnipeg surpassed 15 feet above the normal winter ice level at James Avenue. That is the unofficial threshold for a minor flood in the Manitoba capital.

The Red rose relatively quickly Monday because of an ice jam in the southern portion of the city, said Julie Dooley, the city’s acting communications manager.

“We are currently seeing a quick rise at the James gauge as these jams let go and send a surge of water,” Dooley said in a statement.

“Levels should stabilize as they continue to let go and settle. At this time, we have no change to our flood mitigation plans.”

Floods between 15 and 18 feet James level are considered minor because they usually do not threaten any homes or other structures. They do require the city to take some flood mitigation actions.

In a flood outlook issued on March 18, Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre projected the Red will crest in Winnipeg at 17.2 feet James level under normal weather conditions.

If unfavourable weather arrives — that is, a lot of rain or snow hits the Red River drainage basin — the Red could rise to 19 feet James, the provincial forecasters projected.

The city is still preparing for a flood peak as high as 19 feet James as a precautionary measure. Preparations began weeks ago, said Lisa Marquardson, a spokesperson for the city’s water and waste department.

The city has  activated some flood pumping stations, deployed some temporary pumps, sealed manholes and inspected and closed river gates, she said.

The city last experienced minor flood conditions in 2023, when the Red River crested at 17.9 feet James on April 30.

The Red has crested at Emerson this year but is still rising from Ste. Agathe to Breezy Point, where it fans out into Netley-Libau Marsh, according to provincial hydrographs.

More serious flooding expected on Fisher River

The province is expecting more serious flooding this spring on the Fisher and Icelandic rivers in the Interlake region.

The Hydrologic Forecast Centre said over the weekend it expects the Fisher to rise to the level of the 2014 flood if the remaining snow melt happens slowly. The flood could crest closer to the level of the more-damaging 2022 flood if the melt is faster, the forecasters projected.

Peguis First Nation, which was flooded both those years, is filling sandbags in anticipation of another Fisher River flood. The 2014 flood displaced more than 100 people at Peguis. More than 1,000 had to leave their homes in 2022.

The Icelandic River, which flows through Arborg and Riverton, is at risk of ice jam-induced flooding, provincial officials said.

They also warned of the potential for overland flooding in the Parkland region.