Damage resulting from a sudden river ice breakup

On January 4, 1984, the Nicola River and its two main tributaries broke up suddenly due to a sharp increase in discharge from a rain-on-melting-snow event while the ice cover was still thick and strong. The resulting ice run and attendant jamming caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to public and private property, including the destruction of a bridge and several riprapped banks. Four ice jams remained in place for up to a week after the ice drive. All the damage was due either to the severe ice run within the channel or to flow forced out over the floodplain by ice jams.