A thin ice warning from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources today after an
8-year-old survived a fall through the ice over the weekend in Anoka County.

DNR boat and water safety specialist says Tim Smalley it’s way too early to be
venturing out onto the ice.

“We’re warning parents to caution their children to stay off ponds, streams and other water bodies that now have a thin coating of ice on them. Kids are attracted to ice like a magnet, they just don’t know how much ice it takes to support a person, nor what is or isn’t safe.”

And Smalley says warmer weather is forecast for later in the week, which will have a dramatic impact on ice conditions throughout the state.

The DNR recommended minimum thickness for walking and small group activities on clear ice – is four inches, five inches of new, clear ice for snowmobiles and ATVs, and eight to 12 inches for automobiles.

Last winter, four adults died falling through the ice in Minnesota.