Warmer temperatures could cause big problems this weekend

CTV Barrie: Melting worries From bitter cold and snow to mild air and rain. The drastic weather changes could lead to some potentially big problems. Rob Cooper explains

The mild air and rain expected this weekend could some potentially big problems across the region.

There was a push on Friday to clear our sewers and catch basins before the thaw hits – many streets are surrounded by huge amounts of snow and that could pose a problem if they are not cleared.

“Some areas are going to be a lot worse than others. Hopefully it won’t be as bad here but I notice areas are pretty bad,” says Barrie resident Gary Phillips.

A lot of the snow that came down this week is going to melt this weekend and as much as 25 milimetres of rain is expected. And because of that the Nottawasaga Conservation Authority has issued a warning.

“Despite the cold temperatures, the ice is unstable on our lakes and streams,” says Stephanie Rivest from the Nottawasaga Conservation Authority.

We’re reminded to take extra caution near all bodies of water – be prepared for possible flooding.

There are fears sewers and culvers could back-up due to the melting, so on Friday Barrie Crews were digging and clearing as much as they could before it’s too late.

“We have approximately 13,000 catch basins within the City of Barrie and a lot of them are covered with all the snow. So we’re just in today and we’re trying to clear catch basins and ditches,” said Dave Friary with the City of Barrie.

Friary says people at home can help out by clearing any covered areas by their properties. He says all the workers that were clearing our roads earlier this week are now in ditches doing what they can to prevent any flooding.