WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT AND HOW MUCH WE COULD SEE COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. THE EXTREME COLD IS ICING OVER PITTSBURGH’S RIVERS ALREADY. TRAVEL IS RESTRICTED ON ALLEGHENY, AND THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS IS KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH. WE MET UP WITH THEM TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF ALL THIS COLD WEATHER, AND THE DANGERS FOR PEOPLE WHO GET TOO CLOSE. HERE’S PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER FELICITY TAYLOR. RIGHT NOW, I’M STANDING ALONGSIDE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A FULLY FROZEN, SOLID ALLEGHENY RIVER, AND THAT’S NOT FULLY THE CASE. BUT WE ARE USED TO SEEING THE ALLEGHENY FREEZE IN WAYS LIKE THIS MOST WINTERS. BUT THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TELLS ME THAT SEEING THE MAN IN THE OHIO IN THE CONDITION THEY’RE IN RIGHT NOW IS QUITE UNCOMMON. THIS IS EXCEPTIONAL. WE ARE SEEING ICE FORMATION ON THE MONONGAHELA RIVER, WHICH OF COURSE FLOWS SOUTH TO NORTH. SO TYPICALLY IT’S WARMER THAN THE ALLEGHENY, EVEN ON THE OHIO. WE’RE SEEING WE’RE SEEING FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND ICE FORMATION THAT WE’VE NOT NOT SEEN IN, IN, IN QUITE A NUMBER OF YEARS. THERE IS STILL TRAFFIC ON THE MON AND OHIO RIVERS, JUST AT A LOWER FREQUENCY. THAT’S BECAUSE THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS HAS KEPT EACH OF THE 22 LOCK AND DAMS ON THE THREE RIVERS, OPEN ICE BUILD UP ON THE GATES, ICE BUILD UP ON THE DAM AND CAUSED EXCESS WEIGHT ON THE GATES TO CAUSE ISSUES AND BREAKAGES. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN. THE DECREASED TRAFFIC IS MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE ICE ON THE RIVER, NOT ON THE LOCK AND DAMS. THERE’S A LOT OF IT, AND TO MANY IT DOES LOOK FROZEN SOLID, BUT THAT’S NOT THE CASE. OFFICIALS ARE CONTINUING TO WARN PEOPLE WHO DECIDE TO WALK ON THE ICE, HITTING WATER THIS COLD IS DEADLY. THE RIVER IS STILL FLOWING. EVEN IF YOU DON’T SEE THE WATER, IT IS STILL MOVING UNDERNEATH THE ICE AND THE ICE IS UNDER PRESSURE. SO IT’S SHIFTING AND REFORMING. SO EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT LOOK AS THOUGH THE RIVER IS SOLID ICE, THERE COULD BE CRACKS AND FISSURES AND ICE COULD BE MOVING WITHOUT YOU KNOWING IT. AT SOME POINT, THE ICE WILL MELT, AND THEN THE ENGINEERS WILL TAKE ON A DIFFERENT TASK. IF THE TEMPERATURES RISE GRADUALLY, THE ICE WILL MELT AND WILL MOVE IT THROUGH OUR LOCKS AND DAMS AND MOVE IT DOWN THE OHIO RIVER. REALLY, IF WE SEE A RAPID RISE IN TEMPERATURE AND A LOT OF RAIN, THAT’S WHEN WE WOULD POTENTIALLY SEE HIGH WATER CONDITIONS ON OUR RIVERS.
Engineers monitor rare ice buildup on Pittsburgh’s three rivers
Updated: 2:42 AM EST Feb 2, 2026
Ice covering Pittsburgh’s three rivers causes extra work for the Army Corps of Engineers as they try to keep barge traffic moving. Most years, folks only expect the Allegheny River to look the way all three do. “This is exceptional. We are seeing ice formation on the Monongahela River, which, of course, flows south to north, so typically it’s warmer than the Allegheny,” Col. Nicholas Melin said. “But even on the Ohio, we’re seeing freezing temperatures and ice formation that we’ve not seen in quite a number of years.”Barges are still moving on the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, though less frequently than usual. That is because the Army Corps of Engineers has kept all 22 locks and dams across the three rivers open. There is still ice on the river. “Ice buildup on the gates, ice buildup on the dam can cause excess weight on the gates, which can cause issues and breakages,” Sean Myers, a maintenance mechanic supervisor at the Emsworth Lock and Dam, said. “We have to be able to respond to that when it does happen.”Officials stressed that while the rivers may look frozen solid, the water beneath the ice is still moving and dangerous. They are warning people against walking out onto the ice, noting that falling into water this cold can be deadly.“The river is still flowing. Even if you don’t see the water, it is still moving underneath the ice,” Melin said. “The ice is under pressure, so it’s shifting and reforming. Even though it might look as though the river is solid ice, there could be cracks and fissures, and ice could be moving without you knowing it.”Eventually, the ice will melt, and how that happens will decide their next steps for the river.“If the temperatures rise gradually, the ice will melt, and we’ll move it through our locks and dams and move it down the Ohio River,” Melin said. “If we see a rapid rise in temperature and a lot of rain, that’s when we would potentially see high water conditions on our rivers.”
PITTSBURGH —
Ice covering Pittsburgh’s three rivers causes extra work for the Army Corps of Engineers as they try to keep barge traffic moving. Most years, folks only expect the Allegheny River to look the way all three do.
“This is exceptional. We are seeing ice formation on the Monongahela River, which, of course, flows south to north, so typically it’s warmer than the Allegheny,” Col. Nicholas Melin said. “But even on the Ohio, we’re seeing freezing temperatures and ice formation that we’ve not seen in quite a number of years.”
Barges are still moving on the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, though less frequently than usual. That is because the Army Corps of Engineers has kept all 22 locks and dams across the three rivers open. There is still ice on the river.
“Ice buildup on the gates, ice buildup on the dam can cause excess weight on the gates, which can cause issues and breakages,” Sean Myers, a maintenance mechanic supervisor at the Emsworth Lock and Dam, said. “We have to be able to respond to that when it does happen.”
Officials stressed that while the rivers may look frozen solid, the water beneath the ice is still moving and dangerous. They are warning people against walking out onto the ice, noting that falling into water this cold can be deadly.
“The river is still flowing. Even if you don’t see the water, it is still moving underneath the ice,” Melin said. “The ice is under pressure, so it’s shifting and reforming. Even though it might look as though the river is solid ice, there could be cracks and fissures, and ice could be moving without you knowing it.”
Eventually, the ice will melt, and how that happens will decide their next steps for the river.
“If the temperatures rise gradually, the ice will melt, and we’ll move it through our locks and dams and move it down the Ohio River,” Melin said. “If we see a rapid rise in temperature and a lot of rain, that’s when we would potentially see high water conditions on our rivers.”