Significant rainfall expected this weekend in Ottawa; flooding possible

Environment Canada sent out a “tap on the shoulder” to residents in the Ottawa-area warning them to prepare for a significant rain system this weekend.

The weather agency’s meteorologists, like Geoff Coulson, are watching as a low-pressure system from Colorado develops and how it could impact Ontario and the eastern provinces.

“It’s still far enough out that things can change, but it may be enough of a noteworthy event that we’d like people to at least be aware of it, maybe pay attention to the forecast in the coming days,” Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist, told CityNews in an interview.

He said that a number of weather models have agreed that this system is expected to move north in the coming days, affecting Ontario and heading out east to the Maritimes.

Early indicators point to some showers off and on for Saturday in the nation’s capital, but the “brunt” of the storm is expected to land on Sunday. It’s still early, but Coulson says his models show about 15 to 25 millimetres of rain could fall in the Ottawa region.

Due to the dense snow in some parts of the city and the valley, Coulson noted, that it brings up concerns of flooding.

“That snow pack probably can’t absorb much more in the way of rainfall. So rain that that’s going to fall could run off pretty quickly,” he said.

The winds are set to pick up near the end of the week in Ottawa and gaining speed over Saturday. It’s possible gusts could be close to 70 km/h, making for a miserable end to the week.

“Certainly March break overall has turned out to be not too bad, at least in terms of if kids want to get outside to get some fresh air,” Coulson said. “(But) it does look like a pretty active weekend with showers, maybe some thunderstorms, and then those strong winds.”

In the northern parts of Ontario, the storm is expected to bring snow. It is also likely passing through the Maritimes late Sunday into Monday.