The Manitoba government has opened the Red River Floodway to help protect Winnipeg and the surrounding area from rising water.

It is the first time the flood protection system has been operated at this time of year.

A large, unstable weather system is expected to dump 60 to 100 millimetres of rain on the area over the next several days. Other areas of southern Manitoba are under snowfall warnings and could see several centimetres of snow.

The storm comes as fields throughout the Red River Valley are already soaked due to heavy rains. The Red River is currently at the highest it's ever been in the fall since records began being recorded in 1970.

Depending on future weather, peak river flows in the city are likely to occur between October 17 and 20, around 16 feet James.