ST PAUL, Minn. — It would be an understatement to say the landscape across the state bears little resemblance to a so-called "normal" Minnesota winter. Snow is either totally gone or scattered in small patches in most areas, and ice on lakes, rivers and ponds is a strange blue color more appropriate for late spring.
The Minnesota DNR is warning Minnesotans that ice is weakening, especially the stuff found on backyard ponds, drainage ditches and smaller bodies of water that are found in populated neighborhoods with children.
"These places often are overlooked when it comes to ice safety because they generally don’t attract ice anglers, but at least eight children under the age of 10 have died in the past 25 years after falling through backyard ice," the DNR said in a news release issued Friday, following two straight days of 50-degree temps.
Here are some things to consider.
- Temperatures in the 40s and 50s are weakening ice, with small ponds and drainage ditches melting the fastest (shallow water heats up quicker). Lack of snow cover is causing the land and water bodies to warm up faster than they would if they had snow to reflect the sunlight and provide insulation.
- With extremely unusual conditions this winter, it is especially important that kids and adults are aware of the dangers of “ice in the backyard” – small ponds, creeks and even drainage ditches.
- Children are at a much higher risk because they do not understand the danger and might not even know that they are walking on ice when they are playing near a frozen holding pond or drainage ditch.
- It only takes one gasp for air – caused by cold shock – for a person to drown in cold water.
- Now is a critical time for parents and guardians to talk with their kids about the dangers of walking on ice. Everyone can play a part in talking with their neighbors and making sure kids are never on the ice without an adult nearby.
For more about staying safe on and around the ice, visit the ice safety webpage of the DNR website.
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