Mississippi Ice warning

[Joe's Kid]

I don't know if anyone is venturing out near this area of the river, but I thought I'd pass this on.

MNC003-053-210859-

FLOOD STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN

315 PM CST TUE DEC 20 2005

...ICE JAM ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BETWEEN THE COON RAPIDS DAM AND

ST ANTHONY FALLS...

RECENT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH HIGHER THAN NOMAL

RIVER FLOWS HAVE PRODUCED IDEAL CONDITIONS FOR THE FORMATION OF

FRAZIL ICE DOWNSTREAM OF THE COON RAPIDS DAM. AS THIS ICE MOVES

DOWNSTREAM...IT ENCOUNTERS ESTABLISHED SHORE ICE...BRIDGE PIERS AND

ISLANDS IN THE RIVER AND BEGINS BUILDING UP. WHEN ENOUGH ICE BUILDS

UP...A JAM FORMS AND FLOW THROUGH THE JAM IS REDUCED RESULTING IN

RISING RIVER LEVELS UPSTREAM OF THE JAM.

THE ICE PROBLEMS FIRST APPEARED AROUND DECEMBER 5 WITH THE ONSET OF

BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOLLOWING THE LATE NOVEMBER RAIN STORM.

RIVER LEVELS STABILIZED AT A HIGH LEVEL FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND THEN

BEGAN TO FALL SLOWLY. WITH THE ONSET OF THE MOST RECENT COLD

WAVE...ADDITIONAL ICE HAS BEEN FORMING AT THE DAM AND HAS EITHER

BUILT UP AN EXISTING JAM OR CREATED A NEW ONE AS RIVER LEVELS ARE

AGAIN ON THE RISE IN THE COON RAPIDS...FRIDLEY...BROOKLYN CENTER AND

BROOKLYN PARK AREAS. WATER IS REPORTED TO BE MOVING INTO LOWLAND

AREAS ALONG THE RIVER NEAR THE 610 BRIDGE...BUT IS NOT THREATENING

ANY RESIDENTIAL AREAS. RESIDENTS ALONG THE RIVER AND PERSONS WITH

INTERESTS ALONG THE RIVER BETWEEN THE COON RAPIDS DAM AND ST ANTHONY

FALLS SHOULD MONITOR CONDITIONS AND ALERT LOCAL OFFICIALS IF WATER

BEGINS TO THREATEN PROPERTY. RECREATIONAL USE OF THE RIVER COORIDOR

IS HIGHLY DISCOURAGED AS ICE CONDITIONS AND WATER LEVELS CAN AND WILL

CHANGE RAPIDLY OVER THE NEXT WEEK AS WARMER TEMPERATURES RETURN TO

THE REGION. ICE JAMS ARE HIGHLY UNPREDICTABLE AND BECOME EVEN MORE

SO WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES.

SHOULD THE SITUATION CHANGE...ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL

BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

$$