Is that ice safe to drive on?

Saskatchewan.ca – The Government of Saskatchewan is reminding people to make sure that ice is safe and thick enough before travelling on it. Ice thickness will vary on the particular waterbody and local conditions, and it’s important to remember that ice does not freeze at a uniform thickness and its strength can vary considerably from one place to the next.

To stay safe, make sure you check the ice thickness before crossing it. As a guideline, you need at least 10 cm (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20 cm (eight inches) to operate a snowmobile or ATV on, 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and more than 30 cm (12 inches) to support a heavy truck.

As general guidelines, the province also encourages people to avoid ice that:

• looks slushy;
• has thawed, then frozen again;
• is near moving water;
• is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes; or
• has structures on it, such as pressure ridges.