Many people treat water safety as a summer topic. Drowning doesn’t follow the calendar.

Winter transforms the landscape into a playground for skaters, anglers, and hikers. A lake seals over, the pond turns glossy, and suddenly everyone feels brave. However, beneath that picturesque white crust lies a potential hazard. Every year, preventable accidents occur when people misjudge the strength of the ice. Before you step out onto that local pond, it’s essential to understand how to read the ice, prepare your gear, and respond to emergencies.

Cold-water emergencies move fast. People drown in winter not because they can’t swim, but because cold shock steals breath, strength, and coordination in minutes. The good news: You can prevent most ice-related drownings with a few habits, the right gear, and a plan.

Why Ice Drowning Happens So Quickly

People often blame hypothermia, but the first threat usually hits earlier: cold shock. Cold shock can trigger an involuntary gasp and rapid breathing, which can pull water into the airway if a person’s head goes under.

Cold immersion can also cause swimming failure. Hands lose dexterity, arms and legs weaken, and self-rescue becomes harder quickly. The US Coast Guard describes cold-water immersion as a progression that can include cold shock, swimming failure, hypothermia, and collapse after rescue.

Bottom line: Winter drownings often start with breathing and movement problems, not a slow drift into hypothermia. 

Stay Safe on Frozen Lakes and Ponds

Safety requires more than a glance at the surface. Following these steps helps ensure your winter adventure becomes a memory rather than a tragedy.

Step 1: Decide Whether You Even Need to Go on the Ice

Start with the simplest prevention tool: Skip the ice.

Choose a maintained skating rink. Pick shoreline fishing spots. Use a dock where the facility manages conditions. Families also protect kids and pets by avoiding frozen ponds and lakes entirely.

Ice changes day to day, and even hour to hour. Flowing water, springs, inlets, culverts, weeds, docks, and pressure ridges can thin ice in patches that look perfectly solid. 

Step 2: Know the Ice Thickness Guidelines (and Respect Them)

Ice safety starts with measurement, not vibes.

The National Weather Service shares widely used guidelines for minimum ice thickness:

• Less than 2 inches: Stay off.
• About 4 inches: Okay for ice fishing, skating, walking.
• About 5 inches: Accommodates snowmobiles, ATVs.
• 8 to 12 inches: Can support a car or small pickup.
• 12 to 15 inches: Can handle medium trucks.

A few important notes:

• Clear, new ice usually holds better than white, opaque, or honeycombed ice.
• Thickness can vary dramatically across the same pond.
• Warm spells, rain, and snow cover can weaken ice.

How to Check Ice Thickness the Right Way

• Use an ice chisel, spud bar, or ice auger, and measure with a tape.
• Check every few steps, especially near shore, currents, or structures.
• Turn around if you see water on top of ice, cracks that look “wet,” or slushy, soft spots. 

Step 3: Wear Gear That Buys You Time

People underestimate the importance of flotation and grip in cold water.

Pack and Wear These Basics

• U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket (PFD): Should be worn on the ice, not just in a boat.
• Ice picks/ice awls: Use them to pull your chest onto the ice.
• Throw rope or rescue bag: Use it to let someone help you from shore.
• Whistle and waterproof phone case: Use them to call for help fast.
• Spikes or traction cleats: Wear them to reduce slips near the edge.
• Bright, warm layers: Wear them to help rescuers spot you and retain heat.

A buddy system also matters. Ice emergencies can leave a person too weak to call for help, so having another adult there can make the difference. 

Step 4: Follow the Rescue Rule: Reach or Throw, Don’t Go

Drowning prevention organizations repeat this message because it also saves would-be rescuers.

The Red Cross teaches people to help from a safer position: reach or throw, don’t go. Reaching means extending an object from solid ground. Throwing means tossing something that floats, ideally with a rope attached.

If Someone Falls Through the Ice

Do not run onto the ice after them.

Do this instead:

• Call 911 right away.
• Reach with a branch, pole, ladder, scarf, jumper cables, or anything long.
• Throw a rope, a life jacket, a cooler, or any floatable item.
• Keep your weight low if you must move closer: crawl or belly-slide, and stop well back from the hole.
• Talk to the person to coach slow breathing, and tell them to kick while they grab the edge. 

Step 5: Know What to Do if You Fall Through the Ice

Panic feels automatic. Practice makes calm more likely.

Guidance from the National Weather Service includes key moves: turn toward the direction you came from, since that ice supported your weight a moment ago. After you get out, stay low and roll away from the hole to spread weight.

A Simple Self-Rescue Script

• Control breathing first. Focus on slow inhales through the nose and long exhales through the mouth. Cold shock can cause intense, involuntary hyperventilation.
• Face the way you came.
• Get horizontal. Kick your legs like you’re swimming onto a ledge.
• Use ice picks to pull and slide your chest onto the ice.
• Roll or crawl away until you reach thicker ice or shore.

After You Get Out

Cold stress can continue to harm you even after rescue. Go to a shelter, remove wet clothing, warm up gradually, and seek medical care if you experience symptoms such as confusion, uncontrolled shivering, sleepiness, or chest pain.

Help Us Prevent Drowning Year-Round

Ice safety starts with one mindset shift: Treat frozen water like open water.

Leaders can help by posting signage near popular ponds, sharing ice-thickness guidance, offering life jacket loaners, and teaching children the rescue rule. Parents can help by setting a clear boundary: no one goes on ice without an adult, the right gear, and confirmed thickness.

Cold weather won’t forgive guesswork. Smart planning will.

Together, we can end the heartache of losing a loved one due to drowning. Your gift helps us prevent drowning by funding our water safety outreach programs, including initiatives targeting schools and community groups to keep everyone safe. You can also participate in our Water Safety Challenge to assess your family’s or community’s water safety competence.

Enjoy a water-safe winter!