100 WVIA Way
Pittston, PA 18640

Phone: 570-826-6144
Fax: 570-655-1180

Copyright © 2025 WVIA, all rights reserved. WVIA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In a jam? Not yet for some waterways in Northeast Pennsylvania

The Susquehanna River is icy near the Nesbitt Park boat launch in Wilkes-Barre.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
The Susquehanna River is icy near the Nesbitt Park boat launch in Wilkes-Barre.

January has been cold. And temperatures below freezing bring ice — ice on roads and bridges, ice in parking lots, and ice on water.

Ice buildup on a river can cause ice jams, which lead to flooding.

But so far — despite one of the coldest Januarys in a while — there is no real threat yet for a significant jam in Northeast Pennsylvania according to Jim Brewster, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

"In the heart of winter, it's not necessarily a problem just for a river to be frozen," he said. "That's not necessarily a jam.”

The National Weather Service monitors for potential ice jams. They partner with county emergency management services as well as trained river spotters.

"It's boots on the ground, eyes on the river," he said.

Stream gauges also pick up ice signals and Brewster said they are experimenting with radar satellite technology to discern between open water and ice.

For there to be significant concern for an ice jam it needs to be consistently cold beginning in mid-December, he said.

"You need to have ice that's going to be a foot thick or more," he said.

There are signs to watch out for — from afar. He does not encourage anyone to go out onto the ice.

"The real trigger is to watch for any kind of water building up near bridges, near the bends ... and things like that," he said.

Brewster said ice jams essentially create a dam. The water backs up behind and gradually floods.

"But the more significant thing that we look for are what are called the breakup jams," he said.

That usually happens in the spring. The ice starts to melt and warmer weather brings rain.

“So now you have this wall of water rushing down the river. And if it's got too much capacity ... it'll spread out and actually act like a flash flood," he said.

The last significant jam on the Susquehanna River was in 2018.

The weather service keeps an eye on the large rivers in the region, as well as other tributaries and small streams.

Brewster says those are the ones to watch out for.

"If you live near even a smaller stream ... that's going to affect like a road or your house or something, definitely pay attention as we get into these cold snaps," he said.

Brewster says if the cold weather is consistent through February and into March that might raise some red flags for future ice jams.

The Susquehanna River is icy in Wilkes-Barre.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
The Susquehanna River is icy in Wilkes-Barre.

Kat Bolus is the community reporter for the WVIA News Team. She is a former reporter and columnist at The Times-Tribune, a Scrantonian and cat mom.

You can email Kat at katbolus@wvia.org