Flood forecasters in Manitoba are still expecting the Red River to crest at the Manitoba-U-S border sometime between April 15 and 18.

The river started cresting in Fargo, North Dakota on Monday and is expected to peak between 2 and 3 feet below 2009 levels in the community of Pembina.

"The situation becomes a little more impressive as we go northward, but we'll have to see how it shakes out as we get a little closer to Pembina," said Ryan Knutsvig with the U.S. National Weather Service. "That crest is probably going to be next week sometime. Our forecast crest at Pembina is up to 50 feet, but that might not be the full crest and it could be a little higher than that."

In 2009, the Red River at Pembina crested at 52.71 feet and in 1997 the river peaked at 54.94 feet.

A storm system is expected to move through the Upper Midwest this week, but most of that moisture will fall in South Dakota and southern Minnesota and shouldn't significantly impact crest levels on the Red River, according to Knutsvig.

He says some snow may fall in areas south of Fargo, but the forecast calls for below-normal temperatures following the storm, which would make for a slower snowmelt.

Flood forecasters here in Manitoba still expect flood levels south of Winnipeg to equal to those reached in 2009.

Winnipeg is likely to see peak flows during the first few days of May, although the floodway that diverts high water around the city is expected to go into operation this week.