Ice Saftey

3 days ago, Devil’s Lake was completely ice-free. Yesterday (Dec 13th), much of the lake had frozen over, but there were many open areas as well. The ice on the lake right now is, as the fishermen in the photograph told me, “1 to 2.5 inches, hit or miss”.

So you know the drill… Every year people will fall unexpectedly through the ice which can lead to serious injury or death. Drowning, hypothermia, and heart attacks just some of the risks waiting for you when you fall into the water where the temps are now hovering around 32-34 degrees. And when you fall in, you put rescuers at risk as well… That’s IF they know you are there!

This time of year at Devil’s Lake we often see the water freeze over for a short time during a cold snap only to open again a few days later. Since the 1980s*, the lake generally doesn’t feeze over safely until January.

Now here’s the thing, at Devil’s Lake the shore drops away quickly in most areas meaning that even if you are close to shore, you can quickly be in water over your head. (This is especially true on the south end.) Chances are that if you go through, you won’t simply, get your pants wet and “walk out”. So while I realize that for some folks, getting out early is seen as a “badger of honor”, please be patient. The lake will freeze over solidly soon enough.

For more information about ice safety check out this page from the Wisconsin DNR.

*By the way, last season we posted a few little points of interest about when the lake freezes historically, so check that out here.

Be cautious out there.