East Brady officials monitoring for flooding as ice on the Allegheny River starts melting

EAST BRADY, Pa. — Slightly warmer temperatures may be a relief for many people, but officials in East Brady are closely monitoring conditions along the Allegheny River as thick ice could begin to melt.

Large chunks of ice remain visible on the river, and the East Brady Volunteer Fire Department says the combination of heavy ice and rising temperatures could increase the risk of flooding.

“We seem to have a lot thicker [ice] this year, because it’s been way colder and staying long,” Fire Chief Phillip Beabout said.

Beabout said there is significantly more ice on the river compared with last year, along with about a foot of snow sitting on top of it. He said he is checking river conditions daily, especially as warmer weather moves into the region. The other factor is rainfall.

Beabout urged residents living along the river to take warnings seriously if they are asked to evacuate.

“Please leave your home and get somewhere safer so we don’t have to come in and rescue,” he said.

Still, he said there is hope the ice will melt gradually without causing major issues.

“Maybe we won’t have any problems, maybe it’ll melt nice and slow. It has before and left really nice, but we are already ready to see what happens,” Beabout said.

Temperatures in East Brady are expected to reach the 40s next week.

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