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How do ice jams form and why do they cause flooding?

Our recent weather pattern combined with Wednesday and Thursday's warm-up could make for troublesome conditions along rivers and streams.

TOLEDO, Ohio — With an Alert Day in the forecast, the WTOL 11 Weather team is warning of potential ice jams on local rivers.  

Typically ice jams occur closer to spring, but the reason the warning is coming in February is because of a big warm-up happening Wednesday and Thursday.

Many local rivers are covered in ice, but with the mild temperatures in the 50s, the ice cover can break into large chunks. The large ice chunks then flow down the river until they reach a point that is narrow, tight, or a bend that restricts the flow of the ice.  

Credit: WTOL

The ice chunks then become jammed and create an ice dam. Water flowing behind the jam struggles to pass through and causes water to backup and the water level rises.  

Once water backs up, flooding in local communities and the floodplain become an issue.

Those who live near rivers or in the floodplain should monitor the river in the coming days and through the weekend. Ice jams do not form quickly, so monitoring the river can help communities prepare in case an ice jam does occur.

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