Truro prepares for heavy rains and possible flooding

Truro mayor Bill Mills says town staff are doing everything they can to prepare for possible flooding overnight.

With heavy rain in the forecast — between 20 to 40 millimetres in total — and a significant amount of snow already on the ground, Mills said he's going to be monitoring the situation closely.

Staff are clearing snow in key areas so that runoff flows into streams instead of pooling on roads.

Workers are also checking manhole covers, to make sure storm water can drain properly.

Park Street, the road which connects Truro to Bible Hill, is known for flooding this time of year.

The town and county have done "a significant amount of flood mitigation work" over the past two years to prevent flooding, Mills said. 

He says the street would typically be closed for three or four days following a major storm. He's hoping to reduce any future closures to 24 hours, at the most.

Mills said he will be watching pack ice on the Salmon River for any potential for ice jams down river from Truro, which could cause some flooding.

Mills hopes any flooding will happen, "out on the flood plain where it should be. But in town? That's where we run into a problem."

CBC Meteorologist Kalin Mitchell, says heavy rain will develop in southwest Nova Scotia near midnight, and then move across the mainland overnight.

He expects 20 to 40 millimetres of rain in total - and possibly even more on the eastern shore and into Cape Breton.