Runoff from Jackfish Creek caused flooding Monday in the town of Balmoral, Man., 50 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. (Kelly Dodds/CBC)

RCMP blamed flooding in west central Manitoba for the drowning of an elderly woman after she and her husband tried to drive across the Woody River on Sunday evening.

Flood waters northeast of Swan River swept the vehicle away when the couple tried to drive across a river crossing Sunday night. The body of the 79-year-old woman was recovered and her 82-year-old husband is also presumed to have drowned, police said. Their identities haven't been disclosed.

Meanwhile, communities along the Red River remained on flood alert and concern grew Monday that higher temperatures and rain would lead to more flooding across much of southern Manitoba.

The threat from ice jams on the swollen river, which had created a backflow and flooding, largely appeared to be over, as much of the ice was flowing along the path of the Red as it headed toward Lake Winnipeg.

Flooding on the farm of Stuart Ganske near Cartwright, Man., about 250 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. (Stuart Ganske/CBC)

Still, there are many streams, creeks and tributaries flowing into the Red across the valley. Many drainage ditches and culverts have not yet thawed. And south of the Manitoba capital, the bulging Red River is, in some spots, 16 kilometres wide, flowing northward, and yet to reach full crest.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Steve Ashton, the provincial minister responsible for emergency measures, said more than 200 homes just north of Winnipeg in St. Andrews and St. Clements were damaged — some of them destroyed — when ice and water jumped the banks of the Red in a sudden flood on the weekend.

"What we saw this past weekend was very significant," said Ashton. "It was very historic. We've got people saying they've never seen anything like this in the past."

The province says the flash flood, where some people were rescued from rooftops in the middle of the night, was caused by ice jamming up on the Red River late Saturday and early Sunday.

More than 40 people north of Winnipeg were rescued overnight by boats and amphibious vehicles, and dozens of homes were damaged — some moved off their foundations by ice.

As well, 50 people were ordered out of their homes in the St. Andrews community of Petersfield, as officials feared a repeat of the dramatic rescue operation that occurred at Breezy Point and St. Clements early Sunday. Massive slabs of ice, some more than a metre thick, were carried by floodwaters and slammed into buildings.

The town of Riverside — all 55 residents — received a voluntary evacuation advisory Sunday as flooding left the community cut off by road south of Winnipeg.

And early Monday, runoff from Jackfish Creek northwest of Winnipeg caused flooding in Balmoral, Man. — 50 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital and 35 kilometres west of the Red.

It seemed the entire southern area of Manitoba was one massive waterlogged lake, even as the crest of the Red remained upstream of the Winnipeg area, about 60 kilometres south of the capital near Morris, Man.

Melting snow adds to concern

Temperatures are expected to hit double digits this week, causing ice and snow to melt and raising the levels of streams, culverts and drainage ditches throughout the valley.

This could happen even in spots far away from the bulging Red, as southern Manitobans engage in a tense game of cat and mouse with spot flooding across the valley and into the water-logged Interlake area.

There was spot flooding in the suburban Winnipeg area of Charleswood Monday on the western edge of the city, caused by heavy rain, snow melt, and saturated ground. Frozen storm sewers led to flooding in the city's Assiniboine Park. Flood officials said the crest of the Assiniboine River, which meets the Red in downtown Winnipeg, will occur at the same time as the Red crests in the Manitoba capital next weekend.

Flood watchers also were eyeing river levels on the Souris River in western Manitoba and the Fisher River in Manitoba's Interlake region. Alf Warkentin, the province's senior flood forecaster, said the Souris River is expected to peak higher than in 1999, one of the worst floods in recent history.

"The river is going to get miles wide," he said. "Wide enough you will see it on satellite photographs quite easily. There will be a lot of agricultural land flooded, some buildings in Melita and possibly some homes near Souris."

Warkentin noted it was raining Monday and more rain is in the forecast. The warmer temperatures are thawing streams, ditches and tributaries across the south, and it's all occurring at the same time the Red River is cresting. Many areas of the south will be at risk of flooding for some time, at least the next two weeks.

Meantime, the Manitoba government said Monday that disaster financial assistance will be available for many whose homes are damaged as a result of the flooding.

But Ashton also warned that not everyone will be eligible for government aid.

"We have some people living in areas, for example, where they've signed waivers recognizing they're in a flood area. So people may not be eligible for other reasons. This is not punitive, it's just common sense."

Ashton said those who have damaged homes should talk to their insurance companies first.

Federal-provincial disaster assistance is available for protection, damage and evacuation costs that insurance companies don't cover. Ottawa covers about 90 per cent of the costs.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to visit the flood zone in Morris, south of Winnipeg, and spend time in the Manitoba capital on Tuesday.