Ice Becoming Less Safe

Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel is asking area residents to exercise extreme caution while venturing on to the ice.

Wetzel says after the snow has melted off the ice, it becomes particularly attractive to ice skaters and late season fishermen. Unfortunately, the two feet of ice that cover many lakes now is not as strong as the two feet of ice that covered them in February.   He says melt water percolates down through the ice, and combined with the increasing strength of the sun, the weight-bearing strength of that ice is significantly diminished. Two feet of January ice will easily support a vehicle where two feet of late March ice might not.