A low pressure system will impact the Winnipeg River basin this Friday, April 14 and into Saturday, April 15. The heaviest precipitation is expected to occur over the Northern half of the basin, resulting in additional snow or freezing rain on top of the current snowpack. Warmer temperatures during the day, and on Saturday, will result in moderate amounts of rain basin wide.
This event will accelerate the freshet that has already begun with snow melting rapidly over the last week due to the warm and sunny conditions. Runoff from the precipitation is expected to cause river flows and lake inflows to increase temporarily. Lake levels are expected to start increasing gradually starting the refill period.
The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.43 m (1057.8 ft), a 30th percentile level for this time of year. The average lake level remained stable over the past week and is expected to increase by 2 to 6 cm (1 to 2 in) over the next week. Lake of the Woods authorized outflow is 425 m3/s with no changes scheduled.
The current level of Lac Seul is 354.81 m (1164.1 ft), a 50th percentile level for this time of year. The lake level changed little over the past week and is expected to increase by 3 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) over the next week. Lac Seul authorized outflow is 150 m3/s with no changes scheduled.