Flooding
Flooding is considered the most significant natural hazard in Ontario in
terms of death, damage and civil disruption. The Ministry of Natural Resources
provides a Flood Forecasting service through the Surface Water Monitoring
Centre.Flooding along Ontario's rivers, lakes and streams can occur at any
time of the year. Sometimes flooding is just a nuisance. On other occasions,
flooding can cause devastating losses to roads, bridges, homes, property
and communities including death. Every river has the potential to flood
given the right conditions.
No two flood plains are the same. Some may appear to flood frequently and
some not at all. Flooding can be caused by a number of things including
heavy rain, excess snowmelt, and the break up and jamming of ice in rivers
or along lake shores. High winds that create water level surges can cause
flooding on lakes and even some large rivers.
After
heavy rainfall and/or snowmelt, some rivers may take days or weeks for water
levels to rise to flood stages, while others may flood in a matter of hours.
However, flood plains do have one thing in common. If they are occupied,
there is a risk of flood damage and loss of life. Flood warnings reduce
this risk.
Find out more about
Flood Warnings in the Public
Protection and Safety section.
