As more arctic air nears, massive ice jams wreck property across Midwest
WILMINGTON, Ill. -- A new blast of arctic air is driving across the northern United States, and adding to the cold weather problems are ice jams.
Considerable damage has already been done in Tippecanoe County, Ind., where buckling ice from Wildcat Creek ran wild, literally plowing trees and wrecking property.
Video
from Ohio last week captured the speed and strength of an ice jam on the move,
and many in the region are now fearing a similar fate.
"This is probably 12 feet from the river's edge, and look at it -- it's like just mass destruction. You can't stop the ice," said Steve Highbaugh, who has lived along the Kankakee River for a quarter century.
Highbaugh's property is in danger of being pulverized both by the ice and the flooding that could follow.
The
combination of the thaw and rain late last week got the ice going. Even when it
appears motionless, it's generating dangerous pressure on infrastructure, and
the water underneath could quickly reroute sideways to get around the jam,
causing flooding.
Residents along the river are watching it closely, knowing that the next move it makes could force them from their homes.
As for what's in the forecast, chief meteorologist Eric Fisher at CBS Boston station WBZ says the arctic air will be dropping south over the next three days. By Thursday, lows will be in the teens and 20s in Texas and across the deep South on Friday.