Snowmobile Trails Close Amid Warmer Temperatures, Flooding Concerns Follow

WAUSAU, Wis. (WXCO) – Above freezing temps are rising into Wisconsin and with rain rolling in, the scare of rapid snow melt is alive.

The warm weather is again causing problems for snowmobilers, who’ve already had to wait a long time to hit the trails in Wisconsin. Above freezing temperatures and rain this week are expected to deteriorate trail conditions rapidly. Turning snowpack on the trails to slush and mud.

Officials are telling snowmobilers to stay off the trails.

The Travel Wisconsin website has the latest information about openings and closings statewide.

Parks Departments across the state are also asking that you stay off groomed multi-use trails to preserve the snow. This includes cross-country skiing and fat tire bike trails.

There will be a concern for some flooding by the end of the week. As around 2-6″ of water is being held in our current snowpack. On top of that, nearly a half an inch of rain is expected to fall.

As the snow melts, increasing the risk for leaks and floods at home, be sure to check your gutters. Even if they’re clean, water can turn to ice and cause a blockage, leading to pools of water. Experts advises homeowners to move snow a few feet away from their homes too, so that water doesn’t drip along basement walls, seep inside and cause damage.

If water still typically gets into your house, you should document the incident. Take photos and videos of the damage before and after you address them. This way, if you report it to an insurance company, you’ll have the evidence needed to support your claim.

Emergency management also monitors frost depth to forecast flooding. Flood risk depends on how much snow runs off or soaks into the ground. There is a high flood risk with deep frost, heavy snowpack and warm temperatures. This can cause snow to run off into rivers, streams and lakes and flood them.

As the streams swell up, the layer of ice on top of the river begins to break up. The rushing river then carries large chunks of ice downstream, and sometimes a group of ice chunks get stuck in a narrow passage of the river. The ice chunks form an ice jam, which blocks the natural flow of the river.

Ice jams can be dangerous for people living in towns nearby. Because the river is blocked, the rushing water has nowhere to go and it can cause flooding in the surrounding area.

And they are already occurring now in Illinois, on the Kankakee River. The National Weather Service says, “Flooding of roads and streets will continue. Yards and other low-lying areas along the river will remain inundated by water and ice. Shifting ice may damage structures along the shore.”

Wild warm-ups in the middle of winter, are never good news.