With the unseasonably warm weather, the Wright County Sheriffs’ Office is advising the public to use caution on area lakes. Adventuring onto thin ice not only places your life endanger but that of First Responders called to assist if/when someone breaks through the ice.
The Wright County Sheriff’s Office along with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to remind the public to use caution around frozen lakes, streams, ponds and other bodies of water.
Tragically every year in Minnesota someone will lose their life due to falling through thin ice that they thought was safe. The Sheriff’s Office warns that ice is never 100% safe. Ice seldom freezes uniformly and can go from being a foot thick in one location and then only an inch or two thick a few feet away.
The DNR recommends the following ice thickness when utilizing frozen waterways:
• 2″ or less – STAY OFF
• 4″ – Ice fishing or other activities on foot
• 5″ – Snowmobile or ATV
• 8″ – 12″ – Car or small pickup
• 12″ – 15″ – Medium truck
For more information on Ice Safety visit the Minnesota DNR link:
Http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html