Even With Cold Weather, Early-Season Ice can be Dangerous

(KNSI) – Even with a burst of early season cold, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials are urging caution about rushing out onto the lakes.

Ice Safety Coordinator Nicole Biagi stresses that you should only test conditions on lakes or streams that you know like the back of your hand. “A lot of the lakes in the St Cloud area have fresh water springs, which can create a lot of variability in the ice. So, people need to be careful and measure if they are considering walking out…They need to be very familiar with the water body that they’re heading out on and know where those hazards are.”

Biagi shares what people should have on them in case they go through the ice. “Have ice picks readily available to pull yourself out if you do fall through, a chisel to check the ice and the throw rope so you could help your buddy, which you should be with if you going out on the ice this time of year.”

She also recommends a float jacket and ice cleats. The right footwear can help keep a person from slipping and falling. Taking a spill may be more than what newly developing ice can handle.

Safety guidelines suggest you need about four inches of clear ice before it is okay to walk on. For ice houses and snowmobiles, it requires more. Warm weather is expected this weekend, which threatens to break up some of the early season ice.

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