With rain on the way, you might want to check your street for clogged catch basins

UPDATE: The special weather statement for the Halifax area has now been upgraded to a rainfall warning.

*************************

With a special weather statement in effect, crews are busy trying to clear debris from as many storm drains as possible.

But with about 24,000 of them in the municipality, they'll likely not be able to get to them all.

“We're asking residents, if at all possible, to be mindful of any blocked catch basins, and if it's safe to do so, to clear them before the rain starts,” said Halifax Water's Jake Fulton.

A special weather statement has been issued for the Halifax area.

Environment Canada expects the rain to start this evening and continue throughout Wednesday. According to the weather advisory, 30 to 50 mm could fall.

It's also expected to be pretty windy with gusts potentially exceeding 80 km/h in exposed coastal areas.

Fulton said the utility is working with HRM to clear those fallen leaves in hopes of cutting down on localized flooding.

“Looking for any blockages and making sure that the system is ready to take all the water that the storm is going to bring, so they can function like they're designed,” he told CityNews Halifax.

The storm is expected to be more intense along the south shore. Rain and windfall warnings have been issued for Queens and Shelburne counties. Yarmouth County is also under a rainfall warning.