Unseasonably warm weather is causing ice jams in some rivers across the state this week.
Ice jams happen when rivers burst suddenly, and ice chunks pile up. They can accumulate at bridges or big bends and cause flooding.
The National Weather Service in Burlington has reported jams in Woodstock, Moretown and Waitsfield, among other communities.
“What we anticipate is that we'll continue to see rivers rise through this week,” said Maureen Hastings, a meteorologist with NWS. “We'll have some rain move in Wednesday and Thursday, so that's going to add to the snow melt and cause rivers to rise even more.”
Hastings urged anyone in Vermont who lives alongside a river to be vigilant in the coming days.
“What happens is rivers will rise and as the rivers rise and the flows increase, they eventually become strong enough so they can just lift that ice and carry it downstream,” she said. “And as it does so, the ice breaks up. And then… water can back up behind it very, very quickly.”
So far the ice jam in Moretown near the intersection of Route 100B and Old Route 100 has only flooded fields, but local emergency responders are urging people to stay vigilant.
Stefan Pratt is the emergency management director in town. He says people should turn around if they see water in a roadway and he urged residents not to let their curiosity get the better of them.
“People sometimes see the ice jam and it's solid, so they think that they can walk out on it. This is an incredibly terrible idea. You're putting yourself in incredible danger,” he said, warning that first responders may not be able to save you if the ice shifts.
Warm weather is expected to continue through the week.
