GRCA Flood Message #2 – Combined Flood Warning and Flood Watch

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is issuing a Flood Warning message for New Hamburg, Ayr and West Montrose and a Flood Watch message for the remainder of the Grand River watershed remains in effect.

Weather forecast

Temperatures in the watershed have increased to above freezing and have reached double digits on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Air temperatures are expected to remain above freezing until Wednesday, March 11. The watershed received between 15 to 30 mm of rain on Friday and Saturday with some additional rain and thunderstorms expected Saturday evening. The snowpack in the northern part of the watershed contains a significant amount of water content. Warm temperatures combined with rain, which may be heavy at times, is resulting in snowmelt and increased runoff. 

Flood Warning (Action) Message for New Hamburg

River flows are expected to reach Flood Warning Zone 1 in New Hamburg during the late evening of Saturday, March 7, and may extend to Flood Warning Zone 2 in the early morning of Sunday, March 8. Municipal flood coordinators in the Township of Wilmot have been advised to notify affected properties and monitor conditions. Residents are encouraged to refer to the guide on the GRCA’s website for information regarding flood warning zones.

Flood Warning (Action) Message for Ayr

River flows are expected to reach Flood Warning Zone 1 in Ayr during the morning of Sunday, March 8, and may extend to Flood Warning Zone 2 on late Sunday evening. Municipal flood coordinators in the Township of North Dumfries have been advised to notify affected properties and monitor conditions. Residents are encouraged to refer to the guide on the GRCA’s website for information regarding flood warning zones.

Flood Warning (Action) Message for West Montrose

River flows are expected to reach Flood Warning Zone 1 in West Montrose in the late evening on Saturday, March 7. Municipal flood coordinators in the Township of Woolwich have been advised to notify affected properties and monitor conditions. Residents are encouraged to refer to the guide on the GRCA’s website for information regarding flood warning zones.

Flood Watch Remains in effect for the remainder of the Grand River watershed

The snowpack across the watershed has been melting from recent warm temperatures, which has led to increased water levels. Additional melting of the snowpack is expected in the coming days. Higher flows in local waterways combined with runoff from this event will increase the risk of flooding in low-lying areas typically prone to flooding. Some areas of the river system are still ice covered which poses a possible risk of flooding related to ice jams. Municipal flood coordinators should monitor areas where ice jams are known to occur.

GRCA Reservoirs

The major reservoirs at Belwood, Conestogo, Guelph, Luther, Woolwich, Laurel, and Shade’s are at normal levels for this time of year and have storage available to help reduce the impact of downstream flooding.

Stay safe 

High flows and unstable ice conditions will increase the safety risk around rivers and streams throughout the watershed. The public is encouraged to exercise extreme caution around local waterways. Parents are reminded to keep their children and pets away from watercourses. The public is reminded to stay off ice-covered waterbodies, due to unsafe conditions.

River conditions and forecasts are being monitored closely, and any additional flood messages will be issued as needed.

This message will remain in effect until 12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. 

More information

• For more information on flows, weather and reservoir conditions see the River Data section of the GRCA website.
• More information on the flood warning system is available on the GRCA website.
• Receive GRCA flood messages by e-mail by subscribing through the GRCA website.
• Follow GRCA flood messages on X at grca_flood_msg.
• More information about how the GRCA’s role in managing floods is available in the Flooding section of the website.
• Copies of the GRCA’s River Safety Rules booklet is available by contacting the GRCA Administration Centre

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Media contacts:

Lisa Stocco, GRCA Director of Strategic Communications and Environmental Education

Phone 519-621-2763 x2316 | Email lstocco@grandriver.ca

Serena Catania, GRCA Supervisor of Communications and Marketing

Phone 519-621-2763 x2240 | Email scatania@grandriver.ca