Ice jam concerns in Michiana

NOW: Ice jam concerns in Michiana

As we go through the week with the sun and warmer air temperatures, we’re turning our attention towards the rivers with the potential for ice jams and dams as we go through the week.

An ice jam forms when warmer temperatures start to break up the ice covering the river. As the stream twists and turns, the ice could get caught on the bends, or narrow areas, causing more ice and more water from snow melt to get stuck behind the dam.

This can cause flooding upstream, and when the dam breaks, a rush of water downstream.

The National Weather Service has all of the counties in our area under a Hydrologic Outlook due to the risk of ice jams and flooding.

This is likely in part due to an ice jam a little downstream on the Kankakee River in Illinois. The highest the river got was around 6 feet, which has caused some minor flooding.

After a cold start in January, we are going to be seeing a big swing in temperatures this week which increase our chance for ice jams, but hopefully the treat won’t last too long, with temperatures expected to stay warm, or at least close to average, our chance for ice jams will likely decrease as we get into the beginning of February.

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