Allison Finch
Updated: January 08, 2021 01:51 PM
Created: January 08, 2021 01:36 PM
A lot of popular outdoor activities include being out on the ice, but before actually heading out on the ice, it is important to remember what amount of ice is safe and what isn’t. Before heading out on a lake or a pond, look for posted signs on how thick the ice is, or if you can safely do it, measure the ice thickness yourself. A good rule of thumb is to always be cautious, if you are unsure how thick the ice is, then don’t take your chances and stay off the ice.
It is important to remember that big lakes and ponds don’t freeze at the same time and don’t always have the same ice thickness throughout the entire body of water. More often than not, the center of the body of water has the thinnest ice. What this means for you? Well if you don’t have to drive on the ice, don’t do it. Since most bodies of water freeze in different ways, this could turn a normal winter day into a bad day real quick. When ice fishing and ice skating, stay closer to the edge of the body of water.
If you want to calculate how long it will take for a lake to freeze, you’ll have to measure the high and low temperatures and do some simple calculations.
"Formulas such as this are empirical, meaning they are calculated only with observed data, so they really are simplifications of the ice growth processes. The formulas assume that the ice growth occurs in calm water and is reasonably consistent, and they do not take into account sea ice motion, snow cover, and other surface conditions." (National Snow and Ice Data Center)
Copyright 2021 - WNYT-TV, LLC A Hubbard Broadcasting Company