Overview
Page last updated: 5:00 PM CDT April 22, 2024
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Hydrograph of the Kankakee River near Wilmington, IL from the afternoon of Saturday, January 27. The river remained in major flood stage at this location for several days after the ice jam developed before the ice jam broke up the evening of January 26th and water levels subsided significantly. | The Flash Flood Warning that was issued along the Kankakee River near Wilmington on the morning of Thursday, January 25th to highlight the risk of a rapid and sudden rise in water levels and flash flooding as a result of the break up of an ice jam. |
For detailed information about this event, see The Wilmington Area Ice Jam on the Lower Kankakee River During January 2024, a NWS Technical Paper which details the development and break-up of this ice jam, and the related impacts.
Ice Jam and Flooding Reports
Below is a listing of ice jam and flooding reports processed by the National Weather Service over the course of this event. Reports are listed in reverse chronological order.
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS..
0130 PM Ice Jam 1 ENE Ottawa 41.36N 88.83W 01/27/2024 La Salle IL Emergency Mngr Ice jam reported by the LaSalle County EMA at the Route 6 bridge on the Fox River in Ottawa. Some water and ice chunks spilled out of the rivers banks near the Saint Elizabeth Medical Center.
1150 AM Flood 1 ESE Wilmington 41.30N 88.13W 01/26/2024 Will IL Emergency Mngr Kahler Road closed east of Wilmington due to flooding, likely from Forked Creek. 1150 AM Flood Wilmington 41.31N 88.15W 01/26/2024 Will IL Emergency Mngr Kankakee Street closed due to ice jam flooding in Wilmington.
1015 AM Flood 1 NW Wilmington 41.32N 88.16W 01/26/2024 Will IL Emergency Mngr Video from Will County EMA shows water surrounding at least two residences on Widows Road downstream of Wilmington. Possible interior flooding.
0700 AM Flood 1 S Kankakee 41.11N 87.86W 01/26/2024 Kankakee IL Trained Spotter Water flooding low-lying yards along the Kankakee River. Ice jam has begun to break up in the Kankakee and Aroma Park areas. Ice left on banks.
0300 AM Flood 1 SSW Wilmington 41.30N 88.15W 01/26/2024 Will IL Emergency Mngr Shifting of the ice jam located near and downstream of Wilmington occurred and was followed by a rapid rise in water levels. Water flooded yards and neared homes along Towpath Lane upstream of Wilmington.
1215 AM Flood Wilmington 41.31N 88.15W 01/26/2024 Will IL Emergency Mngr Shifting of the ice jam located near and downstream of Wilmington occurred and was followed by a rapid rise in water levels by up to 3 feet. Water inundated portions of IL53 and Island Park near downtown Wilmington. Approximately 14 people evacuated from a motel and an apartment building. Shifting ice also caused damage to Park St on the upstream side of the island.
0300 PM Flood 2 SW Sun River Terrace 41.11N 87.76W 01/24/2024 Kankakee IL Emergency Mngr Kankakee County EM reports full ditches and minor flooding of roadway near Sand Bar Road and Dudley Grove Road. 0300 PM Flood 3 SSE Aroma Park 41.03N 87.79W 01/24/2024 Kankakee IL Emergency Mngr Kankakee County EM reports full ditches and minor flooding of roadway near 6000 South Road and 4000 East Road.
1100 AM Ice Jam 1 WNW Sumava Resorts 41.17N 87.46W 01/20/2024 Lake IN Other Federal Ice spotter reports and satellite imagery indicate that the ice jam located between Momence and Shelby may now extend from near the Illinois Indiana state line upstream to near Shelby. Shelby river gauge has been slowly rising over the last few days, and now is near bankfull stage. 1100 AM Ice Jam Wilmington 41.30N 88.15W 01/20/2024 Will IL Other Federal Ice spotter reports and satellite imagery indicate that the ice jam located near Wilmington may now extend from just upstream of the Illinois River confluence upstream 13 miles to near Lakewood Shores. Wilmington river gauge has been generally falling slowly over the last few days, but remains near major flood stage. 1100 AM Ice Jam Aroma Park 41.08N 87.81W 01/20/2024 Kankakee IL Other Federal Ice spotter reports and satellite imagery indicate that the ice jam located near Kankakee and Aroma Park may now extend from near Schuyler Avenue in Kankakee upstream 8 miles to just downstream of Sun River Terrace. The ice jam also may extend up the Iroquois River about 3 miles.
0430 PM Ice Jam 4 WSW Schneider 41.17N 87.52W 01/19/2024 Lake IN Local Official Kankakee Yellow River Basin Commission reports water nearing low-lying overbank areas near the Illinois Indiana state line bridge due to an ice jam on the Kankakee River. Upstream river gauge at Shelby now at bankfull.
0115 PM Ice Jam 4 WSW Schneider 41.17N 87.52W 01/18/2024 Newton IN Law Enforcement Kankakee County Sheriffs Office reports possible ice jam on the Kankakee River near the Illinois Indiana Stateline Bridge. Water levels on the upstream river gauge near Shelby continue to slowly rise.
1110 AM Flood 1 W Aroma Park 41.08N 87.82W 01/18/2024 Kankakee IL Public Flooding of overbank areas along the Kankakee River in Aroma Park. Likely due to developing ice jam downstream in Kankakee area. 1000 AM Ice Jam 1 SSW Kankakee 41.11N 87.86W 01/18/2024 Kankakee IL Trained Spotter River ice spotter reports ice jam on the Kankakee River beginning near the Schuyler Avenue bridge in Kankakee.
1000 AM Ice Jam 1 SW Wilmington 41.29N 88.15W 01/17/2024 Will IL NWS Storm Survey Ice jam previously located near Phelan Acres and I-55 has grown significantly upstream since yesterday. Ice jam now extends from near the confluence with the Illinois River upstream approximately 10 miles to near Towpath Lane in Wilmington.
0325 PM Ice Jam 1 WNW Lyons 41.82N 87.83W 01/16/2024 Cook IL Fire Dept/Rescue Riverside Fire Department reports ice jam on the Des Plaines river has continued to grow. The ice jam now extends from near McCook upstream through Lyons and Riverside, to near Salt Creek. Water levels on the Riverside gauge now exceeding bankfull.
1200 PM Ice Jam Warrenville 41.82N 88.17W 01/16/2024 DuPage IL Other Federal USGS river gauge indicates likely ice jam on the West Branch DuPage River near Warrenville. Ice jam likely began during the day on Jan 14. Water levels currently about 1 foot below bankfull.
1200 PM Ice Jam 2 SE Rockton 42.43N 89.05W 01/16/2024 Winnebago IL Other Federal USGS river gauge and satellite imagery indicates likely ice jam on the Rock River between Rockton and Roscoe. Ice jam began approximately the morning of Jan 15. No flooding currently reported. 1130 AM Ice Jam 1 SSE Riverside 41.82N 87.81W 01/16/2024 Cook IL Public USGS river gauges indicate likely ice jam on the Des Plaines River extending from near Lyons upstream to near Riverside. Ice jam likely began Jan 14 overnight into Jan 15 with a steady accumulation of ice and increase in water levels. Water levels currently just below bankfull in the Riverside area.
1100 AM Ice Jam 1 SSW Shelby 41.18N 87.36W 01/16/2024 Lake IN Other Federal USGS river gauge indicates likely ice jam just downstream of Shelby. Ice jam began approximately midday on Jan 15. Water levels currently just under bankfull in the Shelby area.
0900 AM Ice Jam 5 S Channahon 41.36N 88.23W 01/16/2024 Will IL Emergency Mngr Will County EMA reports a significant ice jam extending from near Phalen Acres and Bardwell Island upstream to near the I-55 bridge. The ice jam is causing flooding of Kelly Road and Blodgett Road due to river flow bypassing the ice jam. Flooding of yards and garages is occurring in the Phalen Acres neighborhood. The river gauge upstream of the jam near the Interstate 55 bridge has climbed above major flood stage.
0800 AM Ice Jam 4 WSW Naplate 41.32N 88.94W 01/16/2024 La Salle IL Other Federal USACE river gauges and satellite imagery indicate ice jam on the Illinois River upstream of Starved Rock Lock and Dam extending upstream to near Naplate. The ice jam is currently causing minor flooding near Ottawa.
1200 AM Ice Jam 5 S Channahon 41.36N 88.23W 01/15/2024 Will IL Public Local EMA and ice spotters reported that an ice jam developed in the vicinity of Phalen Acres and Bardwell island at some point overnight from January 14 to 15, and caused flooding of low-lying bank areas and yards of nearby homes. $$
Photos
Ice jam on the Kankakee River at I-55 near Wilmington, IL on January 21st. Drone footage courtesy of the Will County Emergency Management Agency. | Ice jam on the Kankakee River at I-55 near Wilmington, IL on January 21st. Drone footage courtesy of the Will County Emergency Management Agency. | Ice jam on the Kankakee River at I-55 near Wilmington, IL on January 26th. Drone footage courtesy of Luke Henderson. |
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Ice jam on the Kankakee River in Aroma Park, IL on January 24th. Drone footage courtesy of the Kankakee County Emergency Management Agency. | Ice jam on the Kankakee River in Kankakee, IL on January 24th. Drone footage courtesy of the Kankakee County Emergency Management Agency. | Flooding along the Sugar Creek in Watseka, IL Photo courtesy of the Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency. |
Ice jam on the Fox River in Ottawa, IL on January 28th. Photo courtesy of the LaSalle County Emergency Management Agency. | The Kankakee River at I-55 near Wilmington, IL on January 27th after the ice jam broke up. Drone footage courtesy of the Manhattan Weather Channel. | The aftermath of the ice jam near Wilmington, IL on January 27th. Drone footage courtesy of the Manhattan Weather Channel. |
About Ice Jams
Ice jams occur when significant ice coverage on a river blocks the river's flow, potentially leading to rising water levels and/or localized flooding in the vicinity of the ice jam.
In order for significant ice coverage to develop on a river, air temperatures need to remain well below freezing for an extended period of time. Once this occurs, ice can then start to either pile up and/or freeze into a larger sheet of ice, leading to what is known as a “freeze-up” ice jam, where the recently frozen ice restricts the flow of water in the river and can lead to flooding upstream of the ice jam.​
Then, when temperatures warm above freezing again, ice on rivers starts to melt and the streamflow on rivers starts to increase, which can cause existing ice jams to break up into smaller ice chunks. The sudden break-up of ice jams can release a surge of water than can cause flash flooding downstream of the original ice jam location. The smaller, broken up chunks of ice can also start to pile up again and get stuck, leading to "break-up" ice jams that also restrict the flow of the river and cause flooding upstream of their location.
Ice jams are not uncommon in our area during the winter and early spring. In fact, there are some chronic ice jam locations along the Rock, Fox, and Kankakee rivers that have about a 1-in-2 (or 50%) chance of seeing an ice jam occur in any given year and up to about a 1-in-3 (or 33%) chance of seeing flooding caused by an ice jam in any given year. Ice jams are less common on other rivers in the area, but can still happen from time to time when significant ice cover develops.
Map showing the annual risk of ice jams occurring at different locations along area rivers. | Map showing the annual risk of flooding caused by ice jams at different locations along area rivers. |
The National Weather Service relies on a volunteer network of river ice spotters to relay information about river ice coverage on area rivers in order to assess the risk for ice jams and associated potential for flooding. For more information about river ice spotting in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, see this page.
Media use of NWS Web News Stories is encouraged! Additional recaps can be found on the NWS Chicago Past Events Page. |