Another soggy day in the forecast as rainfall warning issued for Ontario cottage country

It’s shaping up to be another soggy day in Ontario’s cottage country.

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Bracebridge, Huntsville and other communities north of Toronto that have already been battling rising waters for the past week.

The national weather service is predicting up to 40 millimetres of rain in some areas by Thursday morning.

It comes as several communities in the region remain under states of emergency, including Bracebridge, Huntsville and Minden Hills.

The Town of Bracebridge says in a statement that another 60 Canadian Armed Forces reservists will be deployed to the area, to add to the 100 who are already assisting with flood relief efforts.

Lake Ontario concerns

Meantime, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has issued a shoreline hazard warning for Lake Ontario, urging people in the Greater Toronto Area to use caution along the waterfront.

When the Toronto Islands flooded in 2017, water levels in Lake Ontario reached a peak of 75.93 metres, the TRCA said. The current water level is approaching 75.5 metres.

Making matters worse, high wind gusts of up to 60 km/h are expected to produce offshore waves reaching two metres on Wednesday.

The rising water levels could contribute to erosion along the Lake Ontario shorelines and waterfront communities could experience flooding.

“Properties along the shoreline and the Toronto Islands which experienced flooding during the 2017 event could begin to experience flood impacts as the water level in Lake Ontario continues to rise,” the TRCA said.

It warns certain wind directions could exacerbate erosion and flooding impacts.

Meantime, Rehana Rajabali with the TRCA’s Flood Risk Management, said whether or not the region will see similar levels to 2017 will depend on how much rain falls over the coming weeks.

“The thing to remember about lake levels is that they are going to rise sharply, but it isn’t a matter of hours,” Rajabali said. “It’s a matter of days and weeks…so it is a slow burn event and we are going to be entering this period for a prolonged period of time.”