1848: Ice jam causes Niagara Falls to run dry

1848: Ice jam causes Niagara Falls to run dry

Author: AccuWeather March 29, 2022 Duration: 1:57
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, ice jams on bodies of water are caused by melting snow and ice in the springtime. Warm temperatures and spring rains cause snow and ice to melt very rapidly. All this extra water causes frozen rivers and streams to swell up, and the layer of ice on top of the river begins to break up. The rushing river carries large chunks of ice downstream, and sometimes a group of ice chunks get stuck in a narrow passage of a river or stream. The ice chunks form an ice jam or ice dam, that 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. On March 29th, 1848 a very unusual ice jammed formed. Centered on that day for about 24 hours, Niagara Falls ran dry. The Niagara River was reduced to a trickle as a massive ice jam formed near Buffalo. Strong winds has blown ice from Lake Erie into the River entrance and completely blocked it. It was only when the ice shifted the next day that the water resumed its flow over the falls.

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Every day has a story written in the wind and rain, and This Date in Weather History uncovers those narratives. With AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Myers as your guide, this daily podcast connects the present to pivotal moments where weather dramatically altered the course of events. You might hear about a forgotten blizzard that stranded a city, a hurricane that redirected a war, or a simple shift in the breeze that allowed a historic discovery. It’s more than just a list of facts; it’s a look at how the atmosphere has been a relentless and fascinating character in the human drama. Each brief episode offers a specific, grounded tale, revealing how the climate has shaped cultures, economies, and personal lives in ways we often overlook. Tune in for a thoughtful blend of meteorology and historical context, delivered with the authority of AccuWeather. This podcast turns the calendar into a map of atmospheric intrigue, reminding us that the past is always present in the sky above.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

This Date in Weather History
Podcast Episodes
1834: Late-season storm brings snow from Ohio to New England [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50
Late season snowstorms, like those in the autumn can cause havoc in a different way than those in the middle of winter. Many trees in both seasons are in full or partial leaf, as are bushes and other shrubby. In the midd…
1930: One of the few hail deaths in the US occurs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:42
Hailstorms are notorious for inflicting costly damage upon property and crops every year in the United States. Annually, the destruction from these frozen rain pellets that travel dozens of miles per hour through the atm…
1934: Massive dust storm strikes Eastern US cities [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:02
Newspapers and radio stations East of the Mississippi on the morning of May 12, 1934 carried ominous messages and headlines of a thickening black cloud of chocking dust and dirt moving out of the Great Plains states. The…
2003: Record tornado outbreak impacts 25 US states [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:42
The first week of May in 2003 had one of the worst tornado outbreaks on record in the United States reports indicate that 384 tornadoes occurred in 25 states, causing 42 deaths with at least 23 tornadoes on each day. Har…
1889: Destructive tornado touches down in Reading, PA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36
May of 1889 was particularly warm and humid across the eastern United States. The jet-stream that steers weather system had lifted far north into Canada and air from the steam Gulf of Mexico has surged northward into the…
1977: Powerful snowstorm strikes Northeast US [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38
One of the most powerful May snowstorms to strike the Northeast hit on May 9, 1977. 13" fell at Gardiner, MA; 12.7" at Worchester, MA; 1/2 million people lost power. Officially 1/2" in Boston, but thunderstorms with snow…
1360: Massive storms impact outcome of Hundred Years War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49
The hundred Years War between England and France began in 1337; by 1359, King Edward III of England led a huge army across the English Channel to France. The French did not engage in any pitched battles and mainly stayed…
1840: Deadly Tornado strikes Natchez, MS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33
Natchez, Mississippi was a bustling and booming river town hard against the Mississippi River in 1840, it was 20 years after Mississippi joined the union and 20 years before the Civil War. But on May 7, 1840 the second d…
1937: The Hindenburg Disaster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:18
The airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built and the pride of Nazi Germany, bursts into flames upon touching its mooring mast in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 passengers and crewmembers on May 6, 1937. Af…
1761: 5" of snow falls in Ashford, CT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53
The office of the Town Clerk is the repository for the maintenance and safekeeping of records for the Town of Ashford, Conn. The Town reports that housed in the fire-proof vault in the office of the Town Clerk are all la…