WINTRY WALLOP STRIKES
The elephant sculpture called Tembo and Its Babies is covered in falling snow along the Windsor side of the Detroit River on Wednesday as the region braces for forecasted high winds and flood warnings along shorelines.
With the latest blast of winter weather, officials have issued a flood watch for Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie over the coming days.
Gale-force winds and freezing spray warnings are in effect, with high winds in the forecast lasting though Thursday and possibly into Friday, the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority said Wednesday.
On Lake St. Clair, beginning Wednesday, there is a strong risk of flooding in Lighthouse Cove, and a risk of damage and erosion along the shoreline.
On Lake Erie, from Thursday into Friday, there is the possibility of shoreline damage, erosion and flooding.
Forecasts call for northwest winds to become more westerly on Thursday and climb to 50 kilometres per hour, with gusts over 80 km/h.
Depending on the forecast, strong winds above 30 km/h could last into Friday.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority has also issued a flood watch until noon Thursday for the western shoreline of Pelee Island and the Lake Erie shoreline west of Point Pelee in the municipality of Leamington.
The snow is forecast to end early Thursday morning in Windsor and Essex County and the projected high is -4 C under cloudy skies. Friday will see a high of -3 C with a 30 per cent chance of flurries.
The northwest winds over Lake St. Clair will “push lake water into the Lighthouse Cove area,” the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority said, potentially raising water levels by 10 to 15 centimetres in the area.
Wave forecasts suggest one-metre waves could hit nearshore areas of Lake St. Clair.
If the winds switch to the southwest later on Thursday, there could be waves over 1.5 metres in nearshore areas of Lake Erie.
There is a strong risk of wave spray flooding in Lighthouse Cove because of the high winds from the northwest, the authority warned.
There is a risk that wave action with a southwest wind could damage shoreline protection works and cause erosion along the Lake Erie shoreline in Chatham-kent and Elgin County, including along the high bluff areas.
“Flooding would also be expected in low-lying shoreline areas such as along Erie Shore Drive in Chatham-kent,” the Lower Thames authority added.