Credit: Bo Ostrowski/Submitted
The United State’s Coast Guard has been dispatched to the Delaware River as a massive ice jam is causing concern and problems among riverside towns in Bucks County and New Jersey.
The ice jam is centered on the river between Trenton and Morrisville. Flooding through Yardley and in Trenton is being caused by the large amount of water being held back due to the dam of ice. Below-normal cold is to blame for the icy conditions.
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Some roads in Morrisville, Lower Makefiled and Yardley are closed due to river flooding, according PennDOT. By noon, the river was around flood stage, according to the National Weather Service.
A flood watching is in effect for Thursday and a flood warning was issued through Friday by the National Weather Service for Lower Bucks County, Philadelphia and the communities across the river in New Jersey. Rising temperatures are expected to help the ice jam break up.
Bristol and Croydon are some of the communities that could be impacted by downstream flooding.
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Media reports state the Coast Guard has dispatched boats along the Delaware River to help break up the ice. As of press time, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard was unavailable for comment.
“When this ice jam breaks, there may be enough water behind the jam to cause flash flooding downstream,” the watch statement says. Forecasters report they are unable to predict how high river levels will rise once the ice jam breaks and warn navigation equipment and infrastructure could be damaged.
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Major ice jams along the Delaware River in Bucks County are rare but not unheard of.
