Conservation authorities warn of flooding as southern Ontario sees heavy rains

Conservation authorities across the Hamilton, Halton and Niagara area have issued a series of flood watches and warnings in preparation for expected rainfall Wednesday.

Environment Canada forecasted 20 to 40 millimetres of rain to fall over the day.

The ground is still frozen so the water has nowhere to go and can then pool into low-lying areas.

That, including the warm weather and melting we’ve been seeing, is all adding to that elevated risk of flooding.

A flood watch means there is a possibility for a flood to happen, but a warning means it is already happening.

“Right now the soil is wet — too saturated, it’s quite heavy with water, so there’s not a lot of room for rain that does occur to soak into the ground,” said Jonathan Bastien with the Hamilton Conservation Authority. “A larger percentage of it than normal is going to run across the land, rather than into the ground.”

The Grand River Conservation Authority has issued warnings across the Grand River and in Brantford, Brant County, Ayr, Paris and Six Nations.

The Credit Valley Conservation, where Halton Hill is located, issued a flood warning Wednesday morning.

Conservations in Halton, Hamilton and Niagara are under a flood watch.

Rivers and streams are extremely dangerous to be around, so residents are being reminded to exercise caution.

Many of these warnings from the conservation authorities will remain in place until Thursday.

WATCH MORE: Environment Canada warns of heavy rain, flood risk across southern Ontario