Weather warning: Two days of heavy rainfall could cause major problems

It will be a warm but wet weekend and that could meantrouble in areas at risk of flooding.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning of "significant rainfall amounts over a long period" on Friday and Saturdayfor parts of southern Quebec.As much as 75 millimetres of rain could fall over those two days.

Marie-Eve Gigure, a meteorologist at the weather agency, said the rain will arrive in two separate, powerful systems over 48 hours.

"There is no real break in between," she said. "We're looking at a fairly wet long weekend."

The skies are expected to clear Saturday, and the temperature could reach 18 C on Sunday and Monday, further heightening worries of rising water levels as melted snow enters the watershed.

The rain warning applies to the following areas:

• Chteauguay-La Prairie.
• Laval.
• Longueuil-Varennes.
• Montral Island.

Hydro Mto, a non-governmental agency that monitors water levels,said on its website Thursday thatflooding alerts are in place for theOttawaand Mille lesrivers, as well as for the Rivire des Prairies.