There has been a lot of buzz in the news media during this 2005/2006 winter season about the ice. Is the ice safe? The Excelsior Fire District along with other agency' that are involved in ice safety do not tell people when the ice is safe. They give the citizens guidelines and information about ice so they can make the informed decisions. The ice is never considered safe.

How ice forms and melts:

To know how ice forms and melts is the first step in knowing when to take a step out on the ice. Ice forms like layered segments called candling. When ice melts is does not shrink, it hollows out. This is referred to as "honey comb". As ice melts and hollows out the honey combs either remain hollow or they inconsistently fill with water and sometimes the water will freeze and sometimes is does not. This process is one of many that creates the gray or black colored appearance of ice.

The rate ice forms and melts:

Ice seldom freezes and thaws at a uniform rate and it is much stronger if it is directly frozen. The depth of the water and the purity of the water are factors in the rate ice freezes. Deeper water freezes at a slower rate and pure water freezes faster and deeper than polluted or tainted water.

The strength of ice:

When you think of the safety of ice you must think of at least two things, the thickness of the ice and the strenth of the ice. They are not one of the same.  The conditions for forming ice this year were not favorable for creating thick and strong ice. Minnesota did not get the long stretch of below freezing temperatures with little or no snow fall needed. Instead we had some cold days that formed a sheet of thin ice and during those cold days a significant amount of snow fell on the thin ice. The snow, which acts an insulator slows down the ice forming process and shelters the ice like a blanket. The ice formed on our lake, ponds and streams has not had an opportunity to become strong enough in areas large enough to support human activity.

The surface of the ice can be deceiving and you must consider ice a product of Mother Nature and her reputation for being unpredictable. In general, several inches of new ice are stronger than a foot or more of old "rotten" ice and ice can be one foot think in one area and 10 feet away only an inch thick. Newly  Ice formed by melting snow, refrozen, or made by water bubbling up through cracks and freezing on the surface is considered weak ice no matter how thick it becomes.

Ice around organic object is weak. When organic object like dock post is decaying the process creates heat which causes the ice to melt. The ice along the shoreline is weaker because the buckling action of a lake during the winter months breaks and refreezes the ice continually along the shore line. The water near the shore is constantly moving much as it does during the summer months. Ice formed over moving water is weaker and can be dangerous especially in areas above springs, in streams and rivers. The ice formed nears the mouths of streams and rivers is very weak.

Ice can be weaken in may unseen ways. The wind can force water against the edges of ice and rot the ice from below. Fluctuation water levels and water movements by the activity on the ice can weaken it. Schools of fish can create thin ice spots or even open water by congregating in one location while circulating the water with there fins. Think of this when the "fish are biting".

There are some signs you can look for to determine if ice is weak, slush weakens ice and indicates ice in the area is no longer freezing from below. Gray or black ice indicates that the ice has been compromised by melting, water flow, or other movements.

Now that you have more knowledge about ice you can use better judgments and common sense when planning to venture on to the ice. Minnesota’s winter playground can be fun and exciting is everyone keeps safety in minds and is courteous.