Rain, fog and an impending snowstorm Saturday have delayed a mass airlift of beleaguered residents of Kashechewan and Fort Albany on James Bay in northern Ontario.

Rapidly rising water on the Albany River Saturday threatened to flood the communities.

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources officials are said to be co-ordinating their efforts with the Department of National Defence to relaunch the evacuation of nearly 2,100 residents Sunday if weather permits.

A total of 47 Kashechewan residents were moved to Greenstone Saturday and more than 250 were moved to Cochrane Friday, according to a provincial government release.

Plans called for flying residents from the two coastal First Nations to several host communities across the north of the province as well to the Stratford area in southern Ontario.

More than a dozen aircraft, civilian and military, are said to be involved in the airlift operations.

"The weather is bad out there," said Patrice Cloutier, a spokesman for the Ministry of Community Safety in Toronto.

"So, obviously that is having an impact on operations."

Large blocks of ice on the Albany River have damaged protective dikes in Fort Albany, increasing the flood risk in the community and nearby Kashechewan, an already flood-prone area.

Emergency Management Ontario's Provincial Emergency Operations Centre is co-ordinating the response from provincial ministries, federal department representatives and First Nations community leaders.