When temperatures drop and snow falls you know where to find Wisconsin anglers-- on the ice. But the temps right now are above average for January, and that could spell trouble.
"We want people that are going to be out on the ice, most likely ice fisherman and other people involved in outdoor sports, to be aware that there could be eroding ice," said Bob Barteck, Deputy Chief for the Wausau Fire Department.
Right now the warmer temps for January may feel nice, but it's causing snow ice to melt, snow to slush and ponding on the roads.
"Anytime that you're at freezing or just slightly above that's when any ice is starting to thaw and when you have consecutive days of thawing going on that's when a lot of ice is going to start to melt and continue to melt," said Stormtrack 9 Meteorologist Liz Szewczyk.
When it comes to winter sports, it's important to know before you go.
"Always have good caution sound ice before you go out onto it be very careful with vehicles out on the ice, we always say 2-4 inches for walking," said Barteck.
But it's important to note, no ice is ever 100% safe ice. Barteck also said, "know your body of water before you go out, have a plan if you were to go through the ice also and make sure that you're just exercising good caution."
And it's not just the ice the warmer temps are impacting, but snow conditions on ski hills as well. Stormtrack 9 Meteorologist Liz Szewczyk said, "it's not that fluffy snow that you want to have so that can definitely be an issue you could start to sink a little bit more into the snow."
The Department of Natural Resources does not monitor local ice conditions or the thickness of the ice, so be sure to check before heading out.
