How long does it take for a lake to freeze enough to walk on?

On average, it takes four days of below freezing temperatures to form ice that is safe. Also, this guideline is for ponds and lakes. Frozen streams should never be walked on as they freeze unevenly due to the movement of the water. Another thing to know is that clear ice is the strongest.



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As a general rule of thumb, ice is safe to walk on when there is 4 inches or more of clear ice. It is important to understand that different types of ice varying in their strength. Clear blue or black ice is the strongest.

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On average, it takes four days of below freezing temperatures to form ice that is safe. Also, this guideline is for ponds and lakes. Frozen streams should never be walked on as they freeze unevenly due to the movement of the water. Another thing to know is that clear ice is the strongest.

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Ice may form quickly when temperatures tumble, but it takes more time than you might think for ice to reach the four-inch thickness that experts recommend. On average, it takes four days of below freezing temperatures to form ice that is safe. Also, this guideline is for ponds and lakes.

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In water that is around the freezing point, a person is likely to survive only 15 to 45 minutes with flotation and possibly up to an hour or so with flotation and protective gear before the brain and heart stop (Table 1). The surface temperature of Lake Superior in early to mid-summer is about 40 to 50 F.

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If you are getting 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, turnover may be nearing or just starting. By 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit the lake is making the change rapidly, and fall turnover is complete at around 40.

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Lake ice freezes first at the surface starting at the edges or shoreline for two reasons. Water near the shore is typically shallower and contains less heat than deeper water so it can reach the freezing point faster than deeper water.

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Great Lakes that have completely frozen include Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake to have never frozen entirely.

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“When you fall in the water and it's freezing, the first thing you do is kind of take a big gasp of air, and that causes you to hyperventilate. Your heart rate goes up.” There's also the risk of hypothermia, which can set in after 15 to 30 minutes in freezing water, Coker says.

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That doesn't mean, however, when the air temp reaches 32 the lakes freeze. Water is a great insulator and good at holding heat, which is why the lake temperature doesn't fluctuate much day to day like the air does. Therefore, below freezing temperatures are needed for a week or more to form ice on a large lake.

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Health risks Winter swimming can be dangerous to people who are not used to swimming in very cold water. After immersion in cold water the cold shock response will occur, causing an uncontrollable gasp for air. This is followed by hyperventilation, a longer period of more rapid breathing.

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Ice on the edge is limited to the depth of the water at the edge. So it is always thicker towards the middle.

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Lakes don't freeze all the way to the bottom. Any body of water that freezes all the way to the bottom is called a “puddle” and they typically don't have fish in them. Even in a place that is really, really, REALLY COLD, a lake is only going to have ice on it that is about 2ft to 3ft thick.

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