The U.S. National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota has issued an unusual crest advisory for the Red River following heavy rains last weekend.

Forecaster Vince Godon says they received a lot of rain last Friday and Saturday.

"There was anywhere from five to nine inches of rain and it all fell within six to seven hours. So a very heavy amount of rain in a short duration of time brought the rivers up very fast. We're seeing the Red River rise from Grand Forks north to Oslo, up to Drayton and Pembina and we assume those rises will continue into southern Manitoba as well."

Godon says the Red River is up in the range of 10 to 12 feet from where it was last week, reaching minor flood stage. He adds that is causing some nuisance flooding in low-lying areas. He notes the Roseau River is also up 10 to 12 feet.

Godon says there is no question, the Red River basin is going into fall freeze-up very saturated.

"There are some locations in our area that have picked up around 15 inches (375 millimetres) of rain in the past few months which is almost double the amount of normal in some areas."

Meanwhile, the Manitoba Hydrologic Forecast Centre says the Red River will crest in Winnipeg this weekend. It notes while levels are significantly higher than normal for this time of year, the river will remain well within the channel capacity at all locations north of the U.S. border.