St. John River reaches flood stage in Fredericton, Jemseg
River Watch forecasts Maugerville could also see water reach flood level Thursday
The flood level is reached in Fredericton when the river level reaches an elevation of 6.5 metres above sea level.
In Jemseg, flood stage is reached at 4.3 metres and the reading on the water gauge there Thursday was 4.53 metres above sea level, tweeted EMO.
Water levels are forecast to rise over the next 48 hours.
The Oromocto Fire Department tweeted Thursday the forecast is now calling for the river level at Maugerville to reach 6.1 metres today, putting the river level there 0.1 metres above flood stage.
Maugerville Area: Expecting water levels to rise to a level of 6.1 which will put water over the road at the lowest sections of the highway.
—@OromoctoFDThe New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization tweeted there are no longer any issues with ice in the St. John River. Ice jams above Grand Falls and below Perth-Andover are now gone, stated EMO.
Fredericton's director of public safety, Wayne Tallon, said the current situation is typical of the spring flooding season.
However, Tallon notes flooding is starting a week or two earlier this year than in other springs.
"Normally, this would happen the first week of May into almost the second week of May, but I guess with climate change, it's shifting and now we are starting to experience it a little earlier in the year."
The record level for the river in Fredericton was set in the 1973 spring flood when the water level reached 8.61 metres above sea level.