Ponds and lakes in Metro Vancouver have frozen over during a recent wintry blast but officials are asking people to stay off them, again.
On Friday, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation sent out a reminder that frozen ponds are melting fast.
“The ice is not safe,” says the reminder. “Please staff off for your safety."
People could be seen skating and playing hockey on Vancouver’s Lost Lagoon on Thursday evening. Earlier in the week, people flocked to Vanier Park to skate on a frozen area and to Trout Lake to skate on the ice.
Staff say that the ice is thin and inconsistent.
"For ice to be deemed safe for skating, walking on or other activities, the ice needs to be at least seven inches thick," wrote a park board spokesperson in an email to Glacier Media Friday morning.
Park staff have placed signs at many of the parks stating, "danger, thin ice, keep off."
When it comes to enforcement, the spokesperson says "staff monitor park ponds but are not deployed to watch over them constantly."
"‘Thin ice’ signage remains in place at popular skating sites to advise of the risks and we hope that people will take note and use common sense to avoid putting themselves or their pets in danger," said the spokesperson.
If someone falls through the ice, they should call for help, reach and grab onto the ice and kick hard to push their stomach onto the ice. Staff suggest people call 911 if someone witnesses a person fall through the ice, and not rescue them.
Dogs and pets should be on a leash at all times and if a pet falls through the ice, people should also call 911.
People have fallen through ice recently, including in West Kelowna where a dog ran onto the ice and fell through. A person tried to crawl onto the ice to rescue the drowning dog but fell in.
On Vancouver Island at Beaver Lake, another person tried to rescue their dog after it went through the icy water.
If people are interested in tying up their laces to go skating, the park board recommends one of the city's eight rinks.
Freezing rain on the way
Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau said as much as two to four centimetres of snow may accumulate through Friday afternoon and into the evening across Metro Vancouver.
The snow is expected to gradually transition to rain later tonight but some places might experience freezing rain.
"The greatest risk for freezing rain is in the Fraser Valley and parts of Surrey near Langley," she told V.I.A.
Freezing rain makes travel conditions dangerous because it immediately freezes when it touches surfaces.
Staff officials are also altering the public to overnight rainfall combined with melting snow, which could mean localized flooding on Vancouver roads.
"Please slow down, allow extra time for travel, and watch for pedestrians and cyclists," says a spokesperson.
People can report flooding that is occurring on city property by calling 311 or via the Van311 app.
With files from Elana Shepert
