Ice thickens, but officials urge caution

WASILLA — Winter recreational enthusiasts beware: that lake may not yet be frozen enough.

While numerous local lakes appear frozen and snow-free, and thus perfect for outdoor ice skating, officials urge caution. Baby, it’s cold outside — but maybe not cold enough for your pickup truck to cruise Big Lake yet.

“I would say it has not been cold enough for long enough to feel super comfortable running out on any lake in the Mat-Su,” said Dave Rector, a program technician with the Department of Fish and Game’s Palmer Office.

Shallower ice, like the Potter Marsh Area of Anchorage, or the ice at the edges of local lakes, can freeze faster than ice at the center of the lake, creating the mistaken impression that the ice is thick enough to support heavy weights that might not bear out in the middle, Rector said.

In recent days, several local lakes have begun to see ice skaters and fishermen cautiously venturing out onto their surface. The thickness on Finger Lake on Sunday, for example, was more than enough to allow a group of four hockey players to confidently have an impromptu skate session. On the other side other side of the popular wintertime recreation lake, a pair of fishermen huddled around a hold drilled through ice that looked to be about four inches thick.

Wayne Biessel, area superintendent for Alaska State Parks in the Mat-Su, said ice has been getting thicker by the day — but also urged caution.

“We can’t say if it’s safe or not,” he said on Monday.

Biessel said reports have been that ice on Finger Lake is between three and five inches. He’s heard of people fishing on the ice in the Meadow Lakes area.

“Some of the smaller lakes might be okay for fishing,” he said.

However, Biessel said anyone hoping to drive a vehicle onto the ice might want to wait.

“Last year we had two trucks go through the ice here at Finger Lake,” he said.

Biessel said people venturing out onto the lakes should stay close to shore.

Rector offered the following tips for people who are thinking about going onto the ice:

• Safe ice should be at least four to six inches thick.

• Use a hand tool — hammer, ax, or augur — to make a hole and examine the thickness of the ice closer to shore, where it can be measured without the risk of falling through into deep water.

• Don’t rely on the date to judge when the local lake is safe. Instead, keep an eye on the thermometer.

“On average we use the rule of thumb that you get an inch of ice per day when temperatures are this cold,” Rector said.

The National Weather Service recorded Monday’s low temperature at -5 degrees Farenheit. The service predicted below-freezing temperatures through early Sunday morning, with snow possible from Wednesday through to the weekend.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.