A gale warning has been issued for western Lake Erie due to high winds anticipated Monday morning through Tuesday.

The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority says wave heights could build to three to four metres Monday afternoon.

It says residents along the Lake Erie shoreline should be prepared. 

There will be sustained winds over 35 kilometres an hour, peaking to between 40 and 65 km/h.

Wind gusts are predicted to exceed 75 km/hr. 

Winds during this period are being generally described as being out of the west, however, some forecasts are predicting periods where the wind will be coming out the west-southwest or even the southwest, the LTVCA said.

Should the winds remain firmly out of the west, the winds will be generally offshore or alongshore throughout our region with lessened impacts on the shoreline.

Should the winds shift more southerly, this would produce onshore winds and waves for certain areas with the potential risk that wave action could damage shoreline protection works and cause shoreline erosion. 

Vulnerable areas could see localized flooding due to waves crashing against shoreline protection works spraying water up onto the land. The predicted wind speeds and wave heights are similar to, or exceed, those that caused flooding earlier this year along Erie Shore Drive in Chatham-Kent.