Stay Off the Ice: Lakes, Ponds Not Safe Despite Extreme Cold

It's still not safe to skate on outdoor lakes and ponds, despite the extreme cold of the last few days.

After three days of arctic cold, temperatures will rebound back above freezing into the 40s Sunday and Monday. Hampton Fire Chief Michael McMahon said some bodies of water Sunday morning may have had ice, but looks can be deceiving.

"Even though there's newly created ice in the last several days, there are warm sunny afternoons. Remember, we're into February now, so the days are little bit longer. You notice after five it's not dark like it was a month ago. This is the time in a season when we start to see some softening just from more sun exposure," McMahon told Seacoast Current.

Hampton has bodies of water with seawater that are not prone to freezing, and inland waters that usually do freeze. But the ice hasn't been safe enough even for his firefighters to train.

"The captain has been checking on a fairly regular basis to find suitable locations for training, and they keep finding poor ice," McMahon said.

Sea smoke rose about the open waters of Lake Winnipesaukee and other bodies of water both salt water and fresh Saturday morning, as the water was much warmer than the below zero air temperature.

Ice Castles in North Woodstock delayed its opening until January 23 because of a lack of ice.