Conservation authority officials are keeping a watch on river levels due to the heavy rain in the forecast.
In a release Friday afternoon, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority said the amount of rainfall is “significant for this time of the year.”
The rain could lead to localized flooding in low-lying areas, with the precipitation and melting snow causing levels to rise on smaller local waterways.
“Accumulated ice and snow in the watercourses could block drainage leading to even higher water levels,” officials said. “Some of our smaller local watercourses could spill their banks into adjacent natural floodplain areas.
“It is possible that McGregor Creek in Chatham could rise enough that the LTVCA would have to operate the McGregor Creek diversion channel and is prepared to do so if necessary.”
However, it is not expected at this time that the river will rise up enough to get into the adjacent river flats.