Not Just Birds

Spring in Manitoba is known for two migrations. The first is the birds, magical and uplifting. The raptors that make us wish we could fly too, the waterfowl that make us look up at the hint of a honk, the shorebirds that suddenly appear one day and the songbirds whose return makes one realize how quiet its been since they left. The second is the migration of water, destructive but awe-inspiring nonetheless. The City of Winnipeg for those of you from away, is at the confluence of two major rivers, the Red and the Assiniboine, both of whom travel great distances and have a number of large tributaries feeding into them. In 1997, southern Manitoba experienced the "Flood of the Century" when the Red River overflowed its banks from Fargo to Winnipeg. In Manitoba it resulted in over $500 million (Cdn) in damages and though the Floodway saved Winnipeg from flooding, it couldn't help those living south and southwest of the City and 28,000 people had to be evacuated. At the time of the flood's peak (May 4), the Red River had flooded an area of 2,560 square km (990 square miles), was nicknamed "the Red Sea" and was visible from satellites in orbit. In North Dakota and Minnesota, Fargo-Moorhead and other towns upstream from Grand Forks saw significant flooding but Grand Forks was inundated, had to be evacuated (50,000 residents) and to add insult to injury, a large fire in downtown Grand Forks gutted 11 buildings while the waters rose around them (more info / CBC Archives). The flood forecasters are predicting that we won't hit 1997 levels this year without more precipitation, however, there are two large storm systems tracking through North Dakota and Minnesota which are slated to dump 3+ inches of rain in the next few days. Additionally, I heard today that the Red has overflown its banks in Fargo (at 21 feet) and is expected to crest, sooner than expected, on Friday this week, at between 39 and 41 feet. The Fargo crest in 1997 was 39.57 feet. The only recorded higher crest was 40.10 feet in 1897.

So spring in Manitoba means watching the skies AND watching the rivers rise. And both are on their way.