ice jam
River winter obstruction
An ice jam is a blockage in a river or stream caused by accumulated ice chunks, typically during spring thaw when broken ice piles up against an obstruction.
Ice jams can cause sudden flooding when they form or when they break apart: The ice jam sent water rushing into downtown.
The term also applies to any similar backup of ice blocking normal flow.
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- river bankLand bordering a watercourse
- blockageObstruction halting movement
- floeDrifting sea ice
thaw · flooding · debris · crack · break up · melt · glacial · dam · surge · flash flood · cold · cold snap · water · water level · backup · winter · drift · pressure
- floodsflood damage, flood warning, deluge, flood warnings, flash floods
- ice and snowiceberg, icicle, glacier, hail, sleet
- iceiceberg, floe, skating rink, rink, polar cap
- blender problemsoverfilling, overheating, gritty texture
- river hazardsflooding, rapids, whirlpool, rocks, current
- spring thawsnowmelt, thaw, meltwater, icicles, slush
water flow state
ice jamfree flow
Unhindered continuous movement
open water · breakup · ice-out · open channel · spring thaw