Sheriff's Office: Stay Off The Ice!
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With the colder temperatures a lot of Minnesotans get excited that it's one step closer to their winter activities out on the lake. But you shouldn't be fooled -- it's dangerous at this point to be out on the ice.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Water Patrol will be putting up "keep off the ice" signs Friday and through the weekend. They say the snow on the way can make lakes especially deceiving and make the ice appear thicker than it is.
Thursday, the Eagan Fire Department had to rescue two dogs that had fallen through the ice on East Thomas Lake.
If you go through the ice, hypothermia sets in immediately.
The sheriff's office said if the ice is 2 inches thick or less, stay off. Four inches or thicker is safe to walk on, 5 inches is safe for a snowmobile or ATV, 8 to 12 inches for a car or small truck and 12 to 15 inches is safe for a standard sized truck.
"So those are the general guidelines but we want people to understand that ice is never safe," Lt. Kent Vnuck said. "It could be 2 inches of ice in one area and 20 feet away it could only be a half inch and you're going to fall through. It could be 15 inches and 200 yards away it can be 3 inches of ice. So it's never safe and it's very deceptive."
Water patrol officials say obviously the safest tip is just to stay off the ice altogether this weekend. However, they said if and when you do go out on the ice you should let someone know where you are, wear a life jacket and carry ice picks in case you need to dig yourself out if you fall through.
Last winter, five vehicles went through the ice in Hennepin County, including ATVs.
Two people went through the ice and got wet, but were OK.
No one was taken to the hospital last year. Officials said they believe it's because they have really amped up their ice safety campaign.