The City of Coquitlam is advising prospective skaters to stay off the ice at Como Lake and other local frozen bodies of water.
Kathleen Reinheimer, the city’s senior manager of parks, said while the current winter wonderland might tempt people to lace up their blades, signs warning, “Danger, Thin Ice,” have been erected at Como Lake as it’s not safe.
Reinheimer said it typically takes weeks of very cold weather of -10° temperatures and below for the ice to get solid enough to support a person’s weight. But, she added, “even when it may seem solid in one area, the ice in shady shallow edges is often deceptively thin.”
In the past, Reinheimer said, city crews have marked off sections of Como and Lafarge lakes when the ice has been deemed thick enough to be safe “to allow skaters the rare treat.” She said that’s only happened twice during her 20-plus years career.
Reinheimer said the long-range forecast for moderating temperatures makes a safe outdoor skating opportunity unlikely.
Environment Canada forecasts cold overnight temperatures below zero through Feb. 15 but they’ll hover around the freezing mark or slightly above during the day.
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