Storm Tracker

It’s official! It has been the rainiest and the wettest April on record in Kenora, according to Environment Canada.

The 30.8 mm of rain the region received over the weekend was able to break another rainfall record for the month of April.

“It has been the rainiest April in Kenora, according to the station at the Kenora Airport, 67.8 mm was the final tally in terms of rainfall,” says Gerald Cheng, Environment Canada Meteorologist. “That broke the record of 1960 with 51.2 mm that year. It was certainly a rainy April.”

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is reporting that Highway 658, north of Basket Lake Bridge in Reddit is closed due to water over the road. 

They say a detour route is in place, which is on English River Rd. Traffic control is in place at the location. 

The expected widespread rainfall in the region has led the Lake of the Woods Control Board to authorize an outflow of 1025 m³/s for the Lake of the Woods beginning on Sunday (May 1, 2022). 

A rainfall warning was issued for Kenora on Friday (April 29, 2022) as yet another Colorado Low is expected to sweep through the region this weekend, bringing with it an estimated 20-40 mm of rain. 

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Dryden, Vermilion Bay, and the surrounding communities as another Colorado Low is expected to hit the region this weekend.

The weather agency says, "A low pressure system developing over Colorado is expected to bring significant rainfall amounts to portions of northwestern Ontario beginning Saturday. Total rainfall amounts of 20 to 40 mm are possible by the time rain tapers to showers on Sunday."

The special weather statement could be upgraded to a warning as the system draws near.

More rain is on the way, as this month is on pace to be the wettest April for Kenora in nearly 100 years.

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Kenora, as another Colorado Low is expected to drop 20-40 mm of rain on the waterlogged region tonight (April 29, 2022) into tomorrow night (April 30, 2022).

Northwestern Ontario is tracking to break a 98-year-old weather record this weekend.

Another low-pressure weather system is moving through the southern Manitoba area this weekend, bringing an estimated 20 to 50 millimetres of rain to the already water-logged area.

Environment Canada is now projecting that a section of that system will hit the Kenora area, and residents can expect up to another 20 millimetres of rainfall to finish off the month. The rain is expected to begin tonight and continue into Monday.

The level of Lake of the Woods rose 20 cm (7.87 inch.) in the past week and is expected to rise another 25-30 cm (9-12 inch.) over the next week, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board (LWCB).

The LWCB says, Lake of the Woods is quickly approaching the top of the operating level range for the lake and once it is, fully opening the dams in Kenora will be required.

The outflow from Lake of the Woods is scheduled to be increased from 725 m³/s to 825 m³/s today (Wednesday, April 27) and the LWCB has tentatively scheduled outflow increases for Friday and Sunday.

With five days still left in the month, and more moisture in the forecast, Environment Canada has confirmed a record-setting April in terms of precipitation.

Like the majority of the winter, April has been filled with a significant amount of both rain and snow.

Steven Flisfeder, an Environment Canada Meteorologist says that the Kenora area has seen a combined 99.3 mm of both rain and snow in April.

Northwestern Ontario went through its first major rainstorm of the season this past weekend.

On Thursday (April 21, 2022) Environment Canada was forecasting around 30 to 50 mm of rain to fall in the Kenora area starting Friday afternoon (April 22, 2022) and continuing throughout the weekend.

Gerald Cheng, an Environment Canada Meteorologist, says the area received the rainfall amounts and more that were forecasted.

“For Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 33 mm of rain fell in Kenora and also 4 cm of snow so we had a bit of everything.”

In light of a storm system moving into northwestern Ontario, Environment Canada has issued a Rainfall Warning for the Kenora, Dryden, and Sioux Lookout areas. 

Kenora and Dryden could expect around 30 to 50 mm of rain starting Friday afternoon (April 22, 2022) through into Sunday (April 24, 2022). The agency is calling for Sioux Lookout to get about 25 to 40 mm of rain starting Friday night into Sunday afternoon.