When is ice safe? There really is no sure answer. You can’t judge the strength of ice just by its appearance, age, thickness, temperature or whether or not the ice is covered with snow. Strength is based on all these factors – plus the depth of water under the ice, size of the water body, water chemistry and currents, the distribution of the load on the ice and local climatic conditions.

There is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice. The DNR does not measure ice thickness on Minnesota lakes. Your safety is your responsibility. Check ice thickness frequently.

Temperature, snow cover, currents, springs and rough fish all affect the relative safety of ice. Ice is seldom the same thickness over a single body of water; it can be two feet thick in one place and one inch thick a few yards away.

The DNR’s recommendations are based on average equipment weight and assume solid, clear ice. You are responsible for knowing the weight of your vehicle, equipment and bodies.

Many factors other than thickness affect ice strength, including air temperature, wind, snow, streams, narrow areas or bottlenecks, sun, shade, fish communities, plant decay and more. When a layer of snow melts and refreezes on top of lake ice, it creates white ice, only about half as strong as new, clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when traveling on white ice.

Before traveling on ice…

• Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.

• Evaluate ice conditions and possible hazards.

• Know your plan of escape and have your safety gear accessible.

• Measure ice thickness.

No matter how cautious you are when traveling on ice, there is always a risk of falling through. By following the ice thickness guidelines and being prepared with safety gear and an escape plan, your risk will be reduced.

On foot

While ice fishing is the most common activity we see on frozen waters in Minnesota, that is not the only way to explore our frozen lakes on foot. Many Minnesotans enjoy snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating, iceboating, windsurfing and kiteboarding among other activities on the ice. Communities around the state hold annual winter festivals with a huge range of out-of-the-box, family-friendly activities on the ice. Visit Explore Minnesota opens in a new browser tab to find a new frozen festival in your area.

Recommendations:

• Wait for at least 4 inches of solid, clear ice.

• Wear a foam life jacket or other buoyant gear.

• Carry ice picks and make sure they are always accessible.

On a snowmobile or ATV

Snowmobiles are the smallest motorized vehicle that we see on the ice and one of the safest options if you choose to drive on the ice. Still, people break through the ice every year on snowmobiles, and on average, there are about two fatal break throughs each year on a snowmobile or ATV.

Recently, we have seen more and more side-by-side ATVs on the ice because they can comfortably hold at least two people sitting side-by-side and still have room to haul equipment. While these larger vehicles can be a great option, it is important to remember that they weigh more than the standard snowmobile or ATV, and therefore require thicker ice.

Recommendations:

• Snowmobile or small ATV – Wait for 5 to 7 inches of solid, clear ice.

• Side-by-side ATV – Wait for 7 to 8 inches of solid, clear ice.

• Wear a foam life jacket or other buoyant gear.

• Carry ice picks and make sure they are always accessible.

• Don’t override your headlights.

In a car, truck, or SUV

When solid, clear ice gets thick enough, it can support the weight of a vehicle. However, it’s important to remember that ice thickness can vary drastically on a single body of water. Driving an enclosed vehicle on ice always involves added risk.

If you choose to drive a car, truck or SUV on the ice, be sure to follow these recommendations.

Recommendations:

• Stay on plowed ice roads whenever possible.

• Talk to local experts about ice conditions and known hazards.

• Roll down windows and unlock doors.

• Bring a life jacket or buoyant gear and ice picks in your car. Do NOT wear a life jacket or buoyant gear inside your vehicle. It could make escaping the vehicle very difficult if you break through the ice.

• Have a simple emergency escape plan you have discussed with your passengers.

• Don’t override your headlights.

• Avoid pressure ridges, channels, and under bridges.

• Park at least 50 feet away from other vehicles and move your vehicle every two hours.

Overriding your headlights

It is never a good idea to drive too fast on the ice, but it is especially dangerous at night or in blizzard conditions. If you drive too fast at night, it may cause you to override your headlights, meaning by the time your headlights illuminate an obstacle in your path, you will not have enough time to stop.

At even 30 miles per hour, it can take a much longer distance to stop on ice than your headlights shine. Many fatal snowmobile through-the-ice accidents occur because the machine was traveling too fast for the operator to stop when the headlamp illuminated the hole in the ice. Another common obstacle for snowmobiles is pressure ridges which can be hard to see during both day and night. Colliding with a solid wall of ice can cause serious injury or death.

What if you fall in?

Step-by-step instructions for self-rescue created by the Minnesota DNR and KARE11:

What should you do if you fall through the ice? First, try not to panic. This may be easier said than done, unless you have worked out a survival plan in advance. Read through these steps so that you can be prepared.

 1. Don’t remove your winter clothing. Heavy clothes won’t drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This is especially true with a snowmobile suit.

2. Turn toward the direction you came. That’s probably the strongest ice.

3. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. This is where a pair of nails, sharpened screwdrivers or ice picks come in handy in providing the extra traction you need to pull yourself up onto the ice.

4. Kick your feet and dig in your ice picks to work your way back onto the solid ice. If your clothes have trapped a lot of water, you may have to lift yourself partially out of the water on your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward.

5.  Lie flat on the ice once you are out and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out. This may help prevent you from breaking through again.

6. Get to a warm, dry, sheltered area and re-warm yourself immediately. In moderate to severe cases of cold water hypothermia, you must seek medical attention. Cold blood trapped in your extremities can come rushing back to your heart after you begin to re-warm. The shock of the chilled blood may cause ventricular fibrillation leading to a heart attack and death!

What if your vehicle breaks through?

If your car or truck plunges through the ice, the best time to escape is before it sinks, not after. It will stay afloat a few seconds to several minutes depending on the airtightness of the vehicle.

While the car is still afloat, the best escape hatches are the side windows since the doors may be held shut by the water pressure. If the windows are blocked, use an emergency safety tool, like a spring loaded emergency hammer or an object from inside the vehicle to break the glass.

A vehicle with its engine in the front will sink at a steep angle and may land on its roof if the water is 15 feet or deeper. As the car starts its final plunge to the bottom, water rapidly displaces the remaining air. An air bubble can stay in a submerged vehicle, but it is unlikely that it would remain by the time the car hits the bottom.

When the car is completely filled, the doors may be a little easier to open unless they are blocked by mud and silt. Remember too, chances are that the car will be upside-down at this point! Add darkness and near freezing water, and your chances of escape have greatly diminished. This underscores the necessity of getting out of the car before it starts to sink!

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Information is from the MN Department of Natural Resources website, www.dnr.state.mn.us