The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased releases in the Missouri River from the Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota from 17,000 cubic feet per second to 19,000 cfs at noon Friday.
The National Weather Service's forecast indicates the lower Missouri River basin will experience extreme cold temperatures for the next seven to 10 days, Corps officials said.
"We expect ice forming on the tributaries will reduce inflows into the lower Missouri," USACE spokesman John Remus said in a news release. "By slightly increasing releases from Gavins Point, we will minimize potentially lower river stages caused by lower inflows and reduce the chance of ice jams forming in the Missouri River."
Releases from Gavins Point will remain at 19,000 cfs until the colder-than-normal temperatures have exited the basin and tributary inflows normalize.