Highlights:

• Strong Wind Warning issued for Lake Erie due to strong winds in the forecast for Saturday during the day and overnight.
• Risk of shoreline damage, erosion and flooding along the Lake Erie shore, including the Erie Shore Drive and the high bluff areas.

Message:

A Strong Wind Warning has been issued by Environment Canada due to strong southwest winds in the forecast for Saturday during the day and overnight. During this period, sustained winds speeds between 35 and 40 km/hr are predicted. Sunday morning winds are expected to drop in speed and switch more westerly. The Marine Forecast suggests wave heights on Lake Erie could reach up to 1.5 m in height during this period.

Strong winds will be driving waves onto the Lake Erie shoreline in Chatham-Kent and Elgin County, Saturday during the day and overnight. There is a risk that wave action could damage shoreline protection works and cause erosion, all along the Lake Erie shoreline, including along the high bluff areas.  Low lying areas could also experience flooding.  The area most likely to be impacted is Erie Shore Drive in Chatham-Kent as the area will be exposed to direct wind and wave action for most of this period.  Over the last few years flooding tends to start along Erie Shore Drive when winds exceed 30 km/hr from the south. As the current forecasts call for southwest winds only slightly above these criteria, flooding would not be expected to be as severe as the event earlier this week.

People should take extra caution and avoid the shoreline should conditions get rough. The waves can be strong and the shoreline slippery. There could also be hazardous debris within the waves and water which could be thrown onto the shore. Standing water can also present unseen hazards. Children and animals should be kept away from the water.

Officials will continue to monitor the situation and update this advisory if necessary.

This message will be in effect until November 10, 2019.

Contact: Jason Wintermute (jason.wintermute@ltvca.ca) regarding this message.