The province has issued the following River Ice Advisory for the Town of Peace River:

The thermal breakup of the Peace River ice cover is expected on Wednesday April 10. Ground observers located the Peace River ice front at km 376 on April 8. This location is 6 km downstream of the Shaftesbury Ferry and 20 km upstream of the Highway 2 bridge in the Town of Peace River. The ice front is retreating at a rate of 8-10 km/day.

The ice cover on the Smoky River is starting to break up thermally, with intermittent sections of intact ice and open water. Snowpack across the Smoky basin is very low, and water levels are not expected to change significantly as temperatures warm. So far, there are no signs of large scale ice movement in the Smoky basin, and a dynamic breakup is of the Smoky River is not expected.

Warm weather is forecast to continue in the Peace River area this week. The slightly above seasonal temperatures are expected to continue the steady retreat of the Peace River ice front.

Water levels are expected to decrease as the Peace River ice front melts through the Town of Peace River. Water levels may fluctuate rapidly near the retreating ice front, and anyone taking part in activities near the river should be aware of changing conditions.

For more information about local flood response, residents should contact their local municipality and ask their primary emergency preparedness contact. Additional information including reports, observation maps and satellite images, is available from Alberta Environment and Parks at: https://rivers.alberta.ca/

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