WINNIPEG -- Ice jams and spring runoff are causing water to rise across much of southern Manitoba.
The Red River is expected to crest in Winnipeg this weekend and officials say the floodway, which diverts water around the capital, will open on Friday morning.
Winnipeg city officials said they are preparing to sandbag up to 50 properties, including the Winnipeg Rowing Club.
"This year is well within the realm of the city's capability to protect our infrastructure and protect private properties," said city spokesman Chris Carroll. "The city has experienced higher flood levels in the last decade, for sure. The levels we're seeing are quite manageable."
An ice jam along the Red River just north of Winnipeg forced the closure of the Selkirk bridge when water covered Highway 204.
The province said despite spring runoff, ice is still in place on many rivers, which is causing overland flooding in some areas.
Forecasters said soil moisture is very high following a wet fall, and river and lake levels are above normal in some areas.
Officials said they've put flood-fighting gear -- including steamers and pumps -- in the southwest and are in touch with municipal emergency co-ordinators.
"A combination of rapid melt, ice jamming and blocked culverts may lead to a rapid rise in water levels on tributaries and may cause localized overland flooding," the province said in its flood bulletin issued Thursday. "Municipal and provincial crews are thawing culverts on a priority basis."
Spring flooding has become almost an annual event in Manitoba, where meltwater rushes in from as far away as South Dakota and the Rockies. In many years, farmland is underwater briefly while towns and cities remain dry.
In bad years -- when a rapid snow melt occurs simultaneously with heavy rain on ground that is already saturated -- some roads are closed, lakeside homes are at risk and communities close off dikes or pile up sandbags to protect residents.
Municipal crews worked Thursday to clear an ice jam that caused flooding in Winnipeg Beach.
Helma Rogge Rehders woke up Thursday morning and heard water gushing into the basement of her home, then looked outside and realized her home was surrounded by water from nearby Boundary Creek.
"I didn't expect to see what I saw ... that the water had risen as far as my windows in the basement," said Rogge Rehders. "It looked like I was living in the lake."
It was a similar story in Selkirk, where some residents were dealing with a sudden rise of water levels in various neighbourhoods.
"Water was just along the edge, about 50 feet, and then all of a sudden, in minutes the water rose," said Wilfred Wilgosh from the deck of his home.
Mayor Larry Johannson said he's hoping for a little help from Mother Nature.
"The biggest thing for us right now is to have this jam moved," he said. "We need to get this north of Selkirk. If we can get this out to the marsh area, get it over the lake ... we can take the water up north, but we can't take it here."
With files from CTV Winnipeg
