Ice on the Raccoon River.
Slick sidewalks, parking lots and roadways could remain a problem this morning as temperatures across the state hover around the freezing point.
A slight warmup is expected to arrive tomorrow, but National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Small says that could bring another danger along rivers — ice jams.
“So, as all of this ice that’s accumulated on the grass thaws and releases into the streams and we get a little more melting…the potential for those ice jams will increase,” Small says. There’s little that can be done to prevent ice jams from happening and they can quickly lead to flash flooding.
“The ice just bottles-up, blocks up the flow, and anywhere upstream of that potentially could see flash flooding…you could get water and/or even ice chunks in your yard,” Small says. “You’re pretty much at the mercy of the river.” High temperatures on Wednesday are expected in the upper 30s to near 50. Highs on Thursday are forecast to reach the 40s to low 50s.
Ice breaking up on the Racoon River Tuesday morning.