Flood Watch – Chapleau Wawa District

The Ministry of Natural Resources – Chapleau Wawa District is advising area residents that a Flood Watch is in effect in the District until Wednesday, April 08, 2026 at 4:00pm.

Residents in the Chapleau Wawa District area should keep a close watch on conditions and exercise caution around lakes, rivers, creeks and streams. Roads and walkways will likely be difficult to navigate. Visibility will likely be suddenly reduced to near zero at times. Road closures are possible. Local utility outages are likely. The precipitation is expected to begin as a mix of snow and ice pellets this afternoon or evening before switching over to ice pellets and freezing rain tonight. Precipitation is expected to transition back to snow Friday morning.

The ministry is closely monitoring the weather and developing watershed conditions. Further updates will be issued as appropriate.

A Colorado low will bring mixed precipitation to the area. Parts of the District will see 15–20 mm in a mix of snowfall, liquid/freezing rain and ice pellets. Temperatures are forecast to be mild in the District experiencing both daytime and overnight temperatures hovering around 0°C. Friday will see a slight reprieve from the rain, with forecast rain ranging from a trace to 5 mm. Daytime temperatures will hover around 0°C for areas north of Wawa. The two-day total precipitation is forecast to be 15–30 mm. Freezing rain with ice build-up of 3-5 mm is expected.

Another low-pressure system will move into Ontario on Saturday, bringing 10–15 mm of mixed precipitation to the area. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover near 0°C through the day and overnight for areas south of Wawa to Kirkland Lake.

As this second system moves east into Quebec on Sunday and Monday, residual precipitation of trace to 5 mm is forecast for each day. Colder air will push in from the northwest, bringing a return to freezing overnight temperatures.

In total, five-day accumulations in the District are forecast to be 30–45 mm of mixed precipitation.

Lakes and rivers are still largely frozen in the district though ice and shoreline conditions are deteriorating with the warmer temperatures. Water in the snowpack is being measured in excess of 300 mm in some locations, which is more than twice the normal amount. Frozen ground conditions will limit soil infiltration; as a result, rainfall and any additional snowmelt in the coming days will continue to generate significant surface runoff. Nuisance pooling of rainfall on roadways may occur in flood prone and low-lying areas.

Close monitoring of local forecasts, special weather statements, and warnings is recommended.

This message remains in effect until Wednesday, April 08 at 4:00pm, or until it’s updated.