‘Average’ risk of flooding from river breakup

The breakup of ice on the Clearwater and Athabasca rivers is expected to happen a little earlier this spring than last year, but the risk of flooding is predicted to be average, municipal officials said Wednesday.When the river breakup begins, walking along the river’s edge becomes dangerous. Water levels rise and strong currents shove sheets of ice up onto the banks unpredictably. There is also the risk of ice-jam flooding, as chunks of ice can pile up, stopping the flow of water upstream and causing it to spill over the banks.

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