Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


While frigid temperatures hit the local area and the state during the past few days, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is reminding everyone not to be fooled as “no lake ice is safe”.

Sheriff Mike Bouchard said “There is no ice that should be considered safe at this time. While all the lakes have a covering of ice, I urge residents to be extremely cautious. Ice thickness can be very deceiving as every lake freezes differently. Ice that is several inches thick in one area may be dangerously thin just a few feet away.”


The sheriff encouraged those who venture out on the ice to consider the following safety tips:

• There is not a reliable "inch-thickness" to determine if ice is safe.

• You can test ice thickness and quality using a spud, needle bar or auger.

• Strongest ice: clear with bluish tint.

• Weak ice: ice formed by melted and refrozen snow. Appears milky.

• Stay off ice with slush on top. Slush ice is only half as strong as clear ice and indicates the ice is not freezing from the bottom.

• A sudden cold front with low temperatures can create cracks within a half-day.

• A warm spell may take several days to weaken ice and cause the ice to thaw during the day and refreeze at night.

• Ice weakens with age.

• Stronger the current on the lake, the more likely the ice will give to open water.

• Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.



If you do break through the ice, remain calm.

• Don't remove winter clothing. Heavy clothes won't drag you down but instead provide warmth.

• Turn in the water toward the direction you came from, this is most likely the strongest ice.

• If you have ice picks, dig the points of the picks into the ice while vigorously kicking your feet to pull yourself onto the surface by sliding forward on the ice.

• Roll away from the area of weak ice. Rolling on the ice will distribute your weight to help avoid breaking through again.

• Get to shelter and remove your wet clothing, redressing in warm, dry clothing and consume warm, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages as soon as you can.

• Call 911 and seek medical attention if you feel disoriented, have uncontrollable shivering or have any other ill effects that may be symptoms of hypothermia, which is a life-threatening condition.