Monitoring Pittsburgh’s icy three rivers as temperatures thaw
A gradual thaw will minimize ice jams and flooding concerns.
I FEEL LIKE IT’S JUST BEEN NEVER ENDING FOR US. JOE. IT HAS ACTUALLY. WE’RE UP TO 18 DAYS NOW WITH TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN BELOW FREEZING. ONE OF THE LONGEST STRETCHES WE’VE SEEN IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. ALTHOUGH SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES LAST TIME WE WERE ACTUALLY ABOVE FREEZING WAS BACK ON JANUARY 22ND. THINGS ARE GOING TO BE IMPROVING THOUGH OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, BUT AS WE FELT THE BRUNT OF THE COLD AIR, WE ALSO SAW IT FORMING OVER LAKE ERIE AND ALSO ALL THREE RIVERS. THE ICE OVER OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS FOR US, SOME INCREDIBLE VIEWS OF THE FROZEN CONDITIONS AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THE POINT HERE. AS YOU’RE LOOKING AT THIS SHOT RIGHT NOW, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT AT TIMES THE ICE WAS 5 TO 8IN THICK AS TEMPERATURES THAW IN, THE ICE BEGINS TO BREAK APART, ICE JAM FLOODING WILL BECOME A CONCERN. NOW, TO MINIMIZE THE ICE JAM THREAT, WE WANT TO SEE A GRADUAL WARM UP. THAT’S GOING TO BE THE CASE FOR AS WE GO OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. BUT AS WE FAST FORWARD OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, YOU CAN SEE GOOD PORTION OF THE US, INCLUDING US HERE IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, FAVORED FOR ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, SO THAT MORE RAPID MELTING OF THE ICE AND SNOW COULD CAUSE FOR THOSE ICE SHEETS TO BREAK APART, CREATE SOME JAMS, AND THEN EVENTUALLY AGAIN COULD LEAD TO SOME OF THOSE FLOODING CONCERNS. FOR THE TIME BEING, THOUGH, WE’LL KEEP
Monitoring Pittsburgh’s icy three rivers as temperatures thaw
A gradual thaw will minimize ice jams and flooding concerns.
Updated: 6:40 AM EST Feb 10, 2026
The brunt of the bitter Arctic stretch was not only felt but seen with thick ice on Pittsburgh’s three rivers and a frozen Lake Erie. Drone 4 captured incredible views of the icy rivers. It was estimated that the ice was five to eight inches thick at points.Attention stays on the icy rivers for potential ice jams and flooding as temperatures thaw. Pittsburgh’s Action Weather Meteorologist Jill Szwed explains we want a gradual warm up to minimize the ice jam potential. This week’s temperatures should allow for a slow melt and re-freeze.The outlook for the next two weeks, however, favors warmer than normal conditions for western Pennsylvania. A rapid melt could cause the river ice to break and create jams. This backs up the river’s flow upstream, leading to flooding issues.
PITTSBURGH —
The brunt of the bitter Arctic stretch was not only felt but seen with thick ice on Pittsburgh’s three rivers and a frozen Lake Erie. Drone 4 captured incredible views of the icy rivers. It was estimated that the ice was five to eight inches thick at points.
Attention stays on the icy rivers for potential ice jams and flooding as temperatures thaw. Pittsburgh’s Action Weather Meteorologist Jill Szwed explains we want a gradual warm up to minimize the ice jam potential. This week’s temperatures should allow for a slow melt and re-freeze.
The outlook for the next two weeks, however, favors warmer than normal conditions for western Pennsylvania. A rapid melt could cause the river ice to break and create jams. This backs up the river’s flow upstream, leading to flooding issues.