PLATTE RIVER, Neb. (KMTV) — Each winter, as those along the rivers know, ice jams are a concern. Due to the shallow and twisty nature of Nebraska's rivers such as the Platte and the Elkhorn, once ice begins to move, it may jam at bottlenecks, creating a dam and flooding the surrounding fields.
This year is no exception, despite the lack of snow. On Thursday, the National Weather Service brought the risk of ice jams along the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers to "elevated".
The five criteria the NWS looks at to determine ice jam risk are:
- Ice thickness
- Snowpack
- Streamflow
- Temperature
- Precipitation
Of these 5, two of these are met. The first is ice thickness. Thanks to our recent cold snap, ice along the river has expanded and deepened. Some spots of the river are completely frozen over, while other spots have open channels. The other factor is the warmer temps forecasted next week. This will begin to melt the ice, possibly breaking it up and flowing down the river, where the risk of ice jams becomes higher.
The situation will be monitored over the coming days and weeks. We will keep you updated if anything changes.
