An ice jam that’s been moving down the Aroostook River looks to have settled in Fort Fairfield for the winter and though it’s not currently posing any problems, officials will be keeping an eye on it come this spring.
Joe Hewitt, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service Officer in Caribou, explained that as of Monday afternoon, the ice jam was still holding together past the Fort Fairfield Bridge and heading toward Tinker Dam.
As the jam moved down the river, it impacted Washburn, Crouseville and Fort Fairfield which saw high water levels in low-lying areas.
Ice jams so early in the winter isn’t normal, but it does happen from time to time — like in 1999, when this part of the season saw its last jam of this magnitude.
“Normally, we look for these jams to set up more toward late March and April; we can see them break up and re-freeze,” Hewitt explained.
This December got off to an unusually cold and snowy start; the first 10 days of December were, on average, 7.4 degrees below normal and it’s been the coldest start to December since 2007. The winter season also has seen more snow than normal, with over 40 inches observed where there is usually around 18 inches.
Warmer temperatures and rain followed this month’s early chill, which influenced the early jam. Hewitt explained that ice jams typically require temperatures higher than upper 30s and low 40s — like the ones observed in the region last week — but they were warm enough to melt the ice and allow the breaks.
“The ice thickness to these jams was no more than 6-12 inches … with a lower thickness, it doesn’t take a lot of warm air and force to move it,” he described. After the winter, ice can be 2- to 3-feet thick, requiring a lot more force and warmth to break up.
Monday’s reports showed the water flowing quite high in the Aroostook River near the Fort Fairfield bridge, as ice jams cause water to back up behind them. Though the jam in Fort Fairfield is a low threat, Hewitt anticipates it will be there for a while, particularly since the next week will bring pretty normal temperatures
“Another reason why I think that ice is staying in place is that water temperatures over the next few weeks will get colder, and that ice won’t melt — if anything, it’s going to get thicker,” he said.
Whether it’s a December jam or an April one, Hewitt cautioned that folks should steer clear of the ice.
“The best thing for people to do is stay away from the shoreline and don’t go down by the river,” he said.
