Caution advised as Juneau lakes freeze for the first time this winter

Dozens of bikers, figure skaters and hockey players took to the ice at Juneau’s Mendenhall Lake this weekend. But venturing out onto a frozen lake can be extremely dangerous, and several reports of people falling through the ice circulated on social media. 

Cold temperatures allowed several inches of ice to form at the surface of Mendenhall Lake and Twin Lakes over the last week, but meteorologist Nicole Ferrin with the National Weather Service office in Juneau said lake ice that may appear solid is still prone to give way, especially near running water like streams or waterfalls and, in the case of Mendenhall Lake, near the face of the glacier. 

“Even if it looks like it’s frozen solid, there’s a lot of inflows and outflows of the lake where the ice thickness might not be as thick,” Ferrin said.

The National Weather Service office in Juneau does not monitor ice conditions, nor does the U.S. Forest Service, which manages Mendenhall Lake.

According to Capital City Fire Rescue, crews did not respond to any incidents at the lake over the weekend. One person reached via Facebook said they were present when a child’s leg broke through the ice on Sunday, but the child was able to pull himself out and crawl to safety. 

Ferrin said the crowds of people on the lake this weekend don’t necessarily prove that the ice is safe.

“Just because you see someone else out on the lake doesn’t mean that they are necessarily measured,” she said.

Generally, 4 inches of ice can support ice fishing and walking, 5 inches can support small groups of skaters, and 6 inches can support snow machines, according to guidelines from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Weather Service also advises that people keep a distance of at least 300 yards from the face of the glacier.