After a week of sunshine and mild weather, emergency responders are warning that ice conditions on our regions lakes are changing.
“With the warm weather the ice changes day to day, hour to hour,” said Captain Rick Walker with the Georgina fire department.
Police warn ice safety can be affected by many factors, including: thickness, currents, age of the ice, pressure cracks and snow cover.
On Lake Simcoe there are plenty of pressure cracks, and despite the thickness of the ice, police say people need to be more careful when heading out this time of year.
“We’re losing snow off the surface already and it’s making the surface of the ice very slushy,” said Constable David Flood with the York Regional Police marine unit.
Chief Superintendent John Tod, Regional Commander of the OPP Central Region is reminding parents to educate their children about the dangers that come with melting ice and the spring runoff.
Not only does the ice become unsafe, but banks along all bodies of water soften and can pose a threat to people and pets as well,” said Tod.
Ice huts have to come off frozen lakes in the region this weekend and the warmer weather has police and fire departments concerned.
“Being the last weekend to remove ice huts, we’re going to find a lot of people getting stuck in the slush trying to move in these mild temperatures,” said Flood.
The deadline to remove ice huts is March 15.
