Officials warn about pressure ridges on Lake Minnetonka due to temperature swings
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a warning about pressure ridges on Lake Minnetonka.
The ridges look like long lines of built-up ice and can be up to six feet tall.
“With the lack of snow this year and the extreme cold to warm temperatures, the ridges are a lot bigger than they are normally,” said Lt. Rick Rehman with the water patrol unit.
The wild temperature swings over the last few days causes the ice to buckle, creating the pressure ridges.
“The ice is very unsafe because there’s a lot of moving water under there. You just never know what the ice is going to do,” Rehman said. “We want to warn people these pressure ridges are not safe and do not drive over them.”
Rehman said at least 10 cars and 10 ATVs have gone through the ice over the last two weeks, along with a golf cart and snowmobile.
RELATED: HCSO says 2 vehicles have fallen through Lake Minnetonka this week
No one was seriously hurt but officials said there is a risk of drowning or hypothermia if your vehicle starts to sink.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office put up five digital signs near boat launches this week, hoping to deter people from driving on the ice.
Rehman said there are about 20 ridges on the lake right now, including some that are hundreds of feet long.
While water patrol crews will rescue people, they do not pull out submerged cars.
“It is on you to get that car out of the water. You have 30 days to do that per state law,” Rehman said.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS called local towing companies to see how much that would cost. We were told it could be anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 to pull out a submerged vehicle.