Warmer Temperatures Break Up Ice Jams in Missouri River

An ice jam on the Missouri River in Jefferson City, Missouri, slid downstream on February 23, after the river experienced its worst such backup since 1983-84.

The phenomenon occurs when pieces of floating ice are carried with a current that accumulates at any obstruction to the stream’s flow, according to the National Weather Service.

Footage released by the Missouri Department of Agriculture shows a steady flow of ice chunks in the river. “As Mother Nature brings us warmer temperatures, the sun is also helping to clear ice jams up and down the Missouri River!” the department wrote in a tweet. Credit: MIssouri Department of Agriculture/Tony Hancock via Storyful