The Quick Answer: Because the water is flowing very fast.
The longer answer is that the river does freeze where the river flows slowly. In point of fact, about two miles upstream, they can drive their trucks onto the river and set up their huts for ice fishing. You can see ice huts in the distance in this ↓ picture that I took way back in 2013.
To further explain, I grabbed and annotated a map view from GMaps.
I took yesterday's photo (first one today too) from Bridge Flows Fast, pointing toward the top of the map, looking downstream (the direction that the water flows).
The second photo with the ice huts was taken from the bottom red rectangle at Hay's Shore. The width of the river results in a slow flow, so the water freezes. It is wide enough here that we call in Mississippi Lake.
As the river narrows, the rate of flow increases. The middle red rectangle is approximately where the conditions change from ice to water, somewhere in Riverside Park from where I post a lot of photos over the course of the year. This ↓ photo from December shows mostly ice, but there are a few spots of water. Shortly after this, if we were to get nearer the bridge (off the photo to the right), there would be no ice but open water. The line where it changes from ice to water is variable, depending on how cold it is. I imagine the ice extends quite a long way right about now.
Good to hear that you toughed the elements and got out!
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot of this when I moved to an area of rivers. The Mississippi has places where it freezes solid as does our Kickapoo River. However the 'solidness' of the ice is not the same as on lakes.
ReplyDeleteI actually saw deer crossing the Kickapoo last winter and one deviated from the others' path and fell through thin ice where the river was swift.
I respect rivers now after watching them for years.
Love your photos and explanation!
Thanks for the explanation.
ReplyDeleteThe lengths you go to to satisfy your readers' curiosity! Very interesting. Now get back inside!
ReplyDeleteIt has been cold enough for everything to freeze up!
ReplyDeleteThank you for explaining this. It didn’t occur to me to wonder about it, but it sure is interesting.
ReplyDeleteOur town is much the same. We have a dam in the center and below that and a small distance directly above it, the water is unfrozen. Beyond those points, it is frozen clear across. Which is why if you want to see bald eagles this time of year, you can find no better spot than our town since this is where they feed for miles in any direction. I saw at least 20 circling in the air on my way to church this morning.
ReplyDeleteI am a touch envious about the eagles. They are not sighted often here. I have only seen one, and that was some time ago.
DeleteI’m so glad to be the kid in the front row asking questions! And your scholarly answers complete with a map are top notch! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat pesky browner. 😉
DeleteLovely photos. Thank you for the explanation.
ReplyDelete