Thin ice warning - Metro

[Mayfly]

Hennepin County sheriff's office warns of thin ice
Associated Press
Updated: 02/15/2011 04:24:15 PM CST

MINNEAPOLIS — After responding to three incidents on Lake Minnetonka, Hennepin County is warning people about thin ice.

The Hennepin County sheriff's office reports that two snowmobiles and a backhoe either drove into open water or fell through thin ice on the big lake over the weekend. No one was hurt.

The sheriff's office is urging people to take caution on all bodies of water as the warm weather wears down ice. The channels of Lake Minnetonka have several spots of thinning ice and open water. The Crow River is dangerous and should be avoided. It also says small bodies of water and those with snow or frost on top are particularly dangerous.

[Cody Gruchow]

glad im so paranoid about the ice, no way would i be driving on the ice now! 2+feet of ice can get cut in half in a hurry....

[MTCOMMER]

I was out on Bald Eagle in White Bear today and the ice thickness was OK, but its alot of the 'white ice' and there is alot of water on the top, especially on the roads and around the landings.  I was thinking about not going out cause the water around the landing looked bad.  But a Silverado went out - so i figured I would be OK in my SUV.   
I wont be going out on the ice again this winter though - so I needed to get out today  :fishing2:

[DDSBYDAY]

     Stay away from permanent houses.  They soak up a lot of sun heat and can weaken the ice around them.  I think we will be ok for a while yet.  A refreeze is in the forecast.  I had an interesting thing happen many years ago on Bald Eagle.  DNR said get the ice houses of early.  Let me just say nothing like driving out without  a thought only to find white caps on the open water around areas where ice houses used to be.  (at night).   That little experieance got the hairs standing up on the back of my neck.  We formed a line to get off the ice.  I had a spot light so I went first.  Be careful. 

[dakids]

With the puddles of water ontop of the ice and under the houses the wind will open up a hole real fast under the house.  The wind gets the puddle swirling and before you know it the moving water makes a huge hole and your fish house falls in the hole.

[kenhuntin]

The channels where this happened are never safe and every year people go through. I once saw a delta 88 that drove into the open channel at grays bay. The rear end was above water and through the back window you could see about 10 floating old milwaukee cans. Accesses and shorelines go bad first.