Residents in Winnipeg are facing a torrent of melting snow and rainwater, backing up into huge puddles across roadways and yards and spilling into basements. (CBC)

The Red River hasn't risen yet in Winnipeg but there is already water everywhere, covering the streets and filling basements.

City of Winnipeg officials have fielded 2,500 calls in the past 10 days from residents concerned about water in basements and yards, frozen street drains and curb inlets and problems with culverts.

Bruce McPhail, manager of street maintenance, said Monday that this spring has been one of the worst in recent memory for basement flooding.

"I see that as a combination of wet weather that we got in early February — the freezing rain and the significant moisture — then the very cold temperatures that we got over the winter," he said. "I think that's resulted in a lot of the issues that we've got out there now. And that's certainly been a challenge for the city to try and address."

The problem is many street drains are clogged by ice, so with nowhere to go, the melting snow and rainwater is backing up, creating huge puddles across roadways and yards. The ground is already so saturated with moisture, it cannot absorb much more.

Ultimately, the water finds its way into lower levels, mainly basements.

City crews are working around the clock to clear blocked drains, said McPhail. Priority is being given to those areas with deep water on streets, which the city says is a safety hazard. Crews will then move to water damage inside buildings, especially homes, McPhail said.

The problem is, the temperature over the next few days is forecast to drop well below freezing. The 14 steamer crews trying to thaw culverts and drains can't operate below –5 C, said McPhail.

Private companies flooded with work

Private companies in the city are also being kept busy these days. Jeff Peel of AA Clean Line Sewer and Drain, said his crews have been working up to 17 hours a day helping people with flooded basements.

"We're probably doing anywhere from 50 to 70 [residences] a day right now," he said, noting that water is also backing up through floor drains.

He said the neighbourhoods of St. James and St. Boniface have been hardest hit.

But Charleswood resident Danny Gryba might disagree with that. He was putting the finishing touches on a $10,000 basement renovation when he noticed water seeping in on Monday.

'I'll move on, I guess, and do it over again and see what happens after that.'—Danny Gryba

Despite efforts to pump it out, the level rose to about 30 centimetres, destroying much of his work.

"The whole basement was done. All I had left to do was put the baseboards in and that was it," he said, adding he is devastated. "I couldn't believe it."

Gryba said he has no choice but to roll with the punches from Mother Nature.

"I'll move on, I guess, and do it over again and see what happens after that," he said.

Fargo in race against time

In Fargo, N.D., it's a race against time to protect the city from the crest of the Red River.

Officials are now predicting river levels will be as high as 12.3 metres — above the devastating 1997 level of 12 metres. The crest is expected to hit the city on Friday.

Citizen volunteers and members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been scrambling to build sandbag dikes. High school and college students are being excused from classes to help pack bags.

Tim Mahoney, deputy mayor of Fargo, told CBC News the updated flood forecast has increased the workload.

"We are pretty well prepared in a lot of the sites in the city to [12 metres]. When you go to [12.3] then we have to build dikes up to [12.6 metres]," he said. "That means we have to reinforce all those areas that we thought were okay.

"We're not panicked, but we want people to realize this is serious. And what we have asked for is anyone who can volunteer can come out now."