Red River Floods

UPDATE: Red, Souris rivers overflowing banks

And of course, rain is in the forecast.
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Way back in January, authorities were predicting another flood in store for communities along the Red River this spring. This had communities downstream, on the Canadian stretch of the river valley, worried.  They are still worried. But Manitobans seem prepared. Duff's Ditch has been opened.

Since I was living in Manitoba when the last major flood occurred, the biggie, I have my eyes and ears open for news concerning the impending deluge.

Here's some background information:

Floods and Flood Control

1826: The 1826 Flood; The Mighty Red River Flooding; Red River Flood 1826

1950: Red River Flood of 1950; A City Submerged: Winnipeg and the flood of 1950

1997: Red River Flood

In anticipation of the usual bullcrap from the AGW crowd (including Obama), this problem along the Red is nothing new:

Flunking Global Warming 101

Why We Flood

Geoscientific insights into the Red River and it's Flood Problem in Manitoba; Geologic controls on Red River Flooding and Table 1

Folks who live in Manitoba will know, the Red River is a narrow channel carved in the middle of a huge, expansive FLAT plain, which was once the bottom of a large inland sea. Of course it floods! The biggest flood on record occurred in 1826, and that was - er - before fossil fuel burning combustion engines. Several people actually drowned in that flood. And the second and third largest floods were in 1852 and 1861.

Good luck to all those people who live in the inappropriately named Red River Valley. I'm sure we are all grateful that flood control techniques today are far superior to what was available to the inhabitants of the original Red River Settlement.