Water fills a street in Green Bay on September 11, 2019. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — As heavy rain moves into Northeast Wisconsin during a significant storm Tuesday into Wednesday, local officials are on high alert for potential flooding due to frozen ground and ice jams.
With one to two inches of rain expected through Wednesday, the water has limited places to go, raising concerns about localized flooding.
“The fact that the ground is still frozen, or at least mostly frozen in our area — the water doesn’t really have anywhere to go. It’s not going to be able to absorb into the ground, so we may have localized flooding in roadways, ditches, things like that,” said Paula Van De Leygraaf, emergency management director for Outagamie County.
The National Weather Service has issued a Hydrologic Outlook for the region, advising residents near rivers to be vigilant for ice jams and water pooling on roads.
Ice jams occur when river ice breaks apart and gets stuck in narrow or shallow areas, blocking water flow and causing rapid water level rises.
“You may not typically flood in your neighborhood, but with the fact that the ground is frozen, if we get a lot of rain and it doesn’t have anywhere to go, it may end up flooding in people’s homes or flooding just lower lying streets that normally wouldn’t flood,” Van De Leygraaf said.
Residents are urged to avoid driving through flooded roadways.
“If there are barricades put up due to water across roadways, we ask that you don’t drive around those barricades or go through those roads that are flooded with water,” Van De Leygraaf said.
Emergency officials encourage reporting any ice jams or flooding by calling 211 or contacting local municipalities to help track and respond to problem areas.
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