The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority has issued a flood watch for Chatham.
The authority says the river flats between Delaware and Chatham are flooding and water levels can be expected to remain high through the weekend.
The combination of recent rainfall and warmer temperatures caused the snowpack in the Upper Thames region to melt and produced a snow melt event. Recent forecasts say the region could get an additional five millimetres of rain and 10 centimetres of snow by next Monday.
In Chatham, water levels reached about 10 feet above normal Friday, with the peak expected at around 11.5 feet on Saturday.
"When we hit the peak, people won't really notice it changing,” says water management supervisor Jason Wintermute. “You kind of get a long peak that lasts even half a day."
The organization says people should take extra caution and avoid the river, ditches, and streams, warning that a combination of slippery banks, high water levels and fast flowing water can be dangerous.
