Sunshine and rising temperatures is increasing snowmelt and runoff into creeks and streams that flow into the Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek. To help prevent flooding, in Buffalo, City Engineer Michael Finn says a long-arm excavator is being used to break up ice around bridges.
"The ice is much thicker there because the sun doesn't get at it. What the guys are finding here is that the ice underneath the bridge was two feet thick. And the ice immediately adjacent to it where it was getting sunshine on it was only six inches. So that's really important for us to dig that thicker ice out to prevent ice jams." Finn said.
The steady increase in temperatures over the past few days is good, he says, because there's been a steady increase in water flow.
"Every single event is different and that's why we are taking all the precautions necessary. And we'll have monitors out, throughout the entire event, to monitor and report on the status," Finn said.
The weather forecast includes a quarter inch of rain tonight. Finn says, it's "not a major concern." But he says the Department of Public Works will have ice monitors out watching for any signs of flooding.
