Warm temperatures could cause problems on Pittsburgh-area rivers after cold spell, experts warn
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- We're finally breaking that frigid cold snap, but warmer weather has some local officials on high alert.
The bitter cold last week caused rivers to freeze across the Pittsburgh area, and experts worry that could create problems as the temperatures increase again.
If you pass by a river in the region, you'll likely find it covered by ice. This is something that we haven't seen in a while.
Alicia Miller, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh, said the last time we did was in 2018.
"There's a lot of ice everywhere right now," Miller said.
While it creates a pretty sight, when it starts to melt, it can cause issues with ice jams.
"It's very hard to pinpoint exactly where one is going to occur and when it's going to occur," Miller said.
Miller said they're in a wait-and-see mode, looking out for the ice to move as the temperatures rise.
At the moment, she is unsure if there's a risk for ice jams, seen when large chunks of ice pile up and potentially run into a bridge or dock, causing water to back up and possibly flood, which has historically happened in the East Brady area in Clarion County.
She said the worst-case scenario is to have a prolonged warm-up.
"We're above freezing. With rain, that would allow for rapid snowmelt and precipitation to make the rivers rise quickly and then break all that ice up before it can thaw and kind of just move on its own," Miller said.
She said our long-term forecast shows above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation going into the next two weeks.
"If we are above normal, both during the day and at night and it's windy and then we have rain, that's where we start to have concerns that we're going to have this ice move and potentially cause ice jams and flooding," Miller said.
Local police departments also said they received calls about people walking on the ice this weekend and are urging residents not to take that risk as it continues to melt.
