Ice jams are a source of concern for those who live along rivers every winter. Because Nebraska’s rivers, such as the Platte and the Elkhorn, are shallow and twisty, once ice begins to move, it may become stuck at bottlenecks, forming a dam and flooding surrounding fields.
This year is no exception, despite the lack of snowfall. On Thursday, the National Weather Service upgraded the risk of ice jams along the Platte River to “elevated”.
The NWS uses five criteria to assess ice jam risk:
– Ice thickness
– Snowpack
– Streamflow
– Temperature
– Precipitation
Two of these five conditions have been met. The first consideration is the thickness of the ice. Our recent cold snap has caused the ice along the river to expand and deepen.
Some areas of the river are completely frozen over, while others have open channels. The other factor is the expected warmer weather next week. This will begin to melt the ice, potentially breaking it up and flowing down the river, increasing the risk of ice jams.
The situation will be monitored over the next few days and weeks. We’ll keep you updated if anything changes.
