Ice Safety

With respect to the ice strength, a point of great importance to patrons enjoying ice activities is that you cannot tell the strength of the ice simply by its looks and thickness, the daily temperature, or whether or not the ice is covered with snow. The strength of ice is determined by several factors such as  the chemistry of the water being salt or fresh ,local climatic factors such as wind, snow, rain, and temperature fluctuations which can vary considerably from day to day, the presence of currents such as at stream inflows / outflows, and along streams or rivers, the presence of springs, then size and depth of a lake or pond, the distribution of the weight or load placed on the ice, and the signs of expansion cracks.