Hamilton is melting

We’ve gone from frozen solid to spring-like conditions. Unseasonably warm temperatures across southern Ontario are melting all of the ice and snow from our early winter storms. All that water has left much of Hamilton dealing with a soggy mess, and even flooding in some parts of the city.

On the mountain, dozens of fields have been turned into ponds because of all the melting snow pooling in dips in the land.

It appears that the rural parts of Hamilton are dealing with the most melt. Since Hamilton uses ditches instead of city drainage, it’s much easier for water to build up, especially since these areas were hard hit by the ice storm. All of the melting ice and snow has swelled ditches, turning them into rivers. Some back yards are basically one big puddle.

Hamilton Ward 11 councilor Brenda Johnson says, “it’s a really fine balance between how the ditches should be pointed, and the slant of them… because it’s to allow all the water to escape.”

Luckily, very few residents had to deal with flooding indoors. Councillor Brenda Johnson only got a few phone calls about water issues today, and they were all very minor. That’s likely because we didn’t get quite as much rain as expected, and the temperature stayed slightly lower than forecast.

Residents in Binbrook were prepared for the worst after the 2012 flood that left homes with hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Since then, the area’s drainage systems have been reconfigured, so this melt was a bit of a test. Although the area saw a buildup of water on roads and in reservoirs, no one reported serious flooding.

Even though most of the thaw is over, residents, especially those in rural areas, are still encouraged to clear their ditches and make sure any water courses are open to allow melting snow and ice to flow.

Melting snow is causing problems across southern Ontario. St. Mary’s General Hopsital in Kitchener closed two of its units today after a thaw-related flood forced them to evacuate patients. Earlier this week, St. Joe’s in Hamilton closed their Charlton Campus ER due to weather related flooding.