Two Drown in Twin Cities After Falling Through Ice
Two recent drownings in the Twin Cities have prompted officials to issue warnings about ice safety. The individuals reportedly broke through thin ice on local lakes, highlighting the dangers of unpredictable ice thickness amid unusually mild winter conditions.
- The incidents occurred separately on Friday and Saturday. One man drowned after falling through the ice on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, and a boy drowned in Bass Pond in Bloomington while another man with him was rescued. - Temperatures in the Twin Cities reached a record-breaking 54 degrees on Saturday, shattering a previous record of 50 degrees set in 1882. On Friday afternoon, when the first incident occurred, the temperature was around 51 degrees. - This February warm spell has resulted in temperatures 20 to 30 degrees above normal for this time of year in Minnesota, leading to dangerously inconsistent ice conditions. - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recommends a minimum of 4 inches of new, clear ice for walking and ice fishing. However, they do not measure ice thickness on local lakes and advise that ice is never 100% safe. - Factors such as river currents, snow cover, and temperature fluctuations all impact the strength and thickness of ice, which can vary significantly even over a small area. - A woman who witnessed the man fall into the Mississippi River also fell through the ice while attempting a rescue but was able to get back to shore and was hospitalized as a precaution. - Rescue crews recovered the man's body from the Mississippi River in about 9 feet of water. The boy's body was found in approximately 8 feet of water in Bass Pond. - Historically, Minnesota has seen a total of 272 ice-related fatalities since 1976, with the vast majority of these deaths being due to drowning rather than hypothermia.
