Cold Water and Ice: Your Questions

Cold water shock is the body's automatic reaction to sudden immersion in cold water: a big gasp, then fast, uncontrolled breathing. The National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) says the gasping and rapid breathing happen in the first 2 to 3 minutes or more, and can quickly cause drowning if you inhale water. Cold shock also spikes heart rate and blood pressure, which can cause heart failure or stroke in vulnerable people. A life jacket keeps your head up while it passes. See cold water shock and the 1-10-1 rule.

Sources: weather.gov (opens in a new tab), coldwatersafety.org (opens in a new tab)

The 1-10-1 is a rough memory aid for cold water: about 1 minute of cold shock, about 10 minutes of useful movement, and possibly about 1 hour before passing out from hypothermia, as the Canadian Safe Boating Council (opens in a new tab) describes it. Treat it as approximate, never as a promise. The National Center for Cold Water Safety (opens in a new tab) calls it a myth and notes that in near-freezing water a person can be incapacitated within 2 to 10 minutes. Wear a life jacket and dress for the water. Try the and see 1-10-1 principle.

Sources: csbc.ca (opens in a new tab), coldwatersafety.org (opens in a new tab)

Colder than most people think. The National Center for Cold Water Safety (opens in a new tab) advises treating any water below 70°F with caution. The National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) says gasping can be triggered by water as warm as 77°F, and that cold shock can be just as severe in 50 to 60°F water as in 35°F water. Water also pulls heat from your body 25 times faster than air. Warm air does not mean warm water, so check the water temperature. See cold water shock.

Sources: coldwatersafety.org (opens in a new tab), weather.gov (opens in a new tab)

There is no safe number, and the first minutes are the most dangerous. Most cold-water deaths are drowning, not hypothermia: of 269 ice-related deaths in Minnesota since 1976, only 5 were from hypothermia (Minnesota DNR (opens in a new tab)). Hypothermia begins when core temperature drops to 95°F (NWS (opens in a new tab)), but your muscles weaken long before, and cold incapacitation can set in within 2 to 30 minutes (National Center for Cold Water Safety (opens in a new tab)). A life jacket buys the most time. See what to do if you fall into cold water.

Sources: dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab), weather.gov (opens in a new tab), coldwatersafety.org (opens in a new tab)

At least 4 inches of new, clear ice, according to Minnesota DNR guidelines (opens in a new tab); stay off ice thinner than that. White, snowy ice is only about half as strong as clear ice, so double the guideline. And there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice: the Minnesota DNR (opens in a new tab) says you can't judge ice strength by its look, age, thickness, temperature or snow cover alone, and ice over moving water is often dangerous. Check thickness in several places. See ice safety.

Sources: dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab), dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab)

Stay calm, keep your winter clothes on, and turn back toward the way you came, where the ice held you. The Minnesota DNR (opens in a new tab) says heavy clothes won't drag you down; they trap air for warmth and floating. Use ice picks, if you carry them, to pull yourself out onto the ice, then roll away from the hole rather than standing up. Get somewhere warm and call for help. See what to do if you fall through ice.

Source: dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab)

Call 911, and help from shore. The Minnesota DNR (opens in a new tab) teaches the order Preach, Reach, Throw, Row, Go: shout encouragement and tell the person help is coming; reach from shore with a rope, ladder or similar object; throw a rope or something that floats; push a light boat across the ice if you have one; and only go out as a last resort. Don't run up to the edge of the hole. It says untrained people should not go out on the ice unless every other option has been ruled out, because rescuers can fall through too. See falling through ice and how to help.

Source: dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab)

In adults, shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness, according to the CDC (opens in a new tab). In babies, look for bright red, cold skin and very low energy. The CDC says hypothermia is a medical emergency, so call 911 and get the person somewhere warm. After a cold-water rescue, the National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) shares Red Cross advice to warm the person slowly, core first, and not to put them in warm water. See hypothermia after cold water.

Sources: cdc.gov (opens in a new tab), weather.gov (opens in a new tab)

A sudden plunge into cold water carries real risk, especially for people with heart problems. The National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) says cold shock causes gasping and a sharp rise in heart rate and blood pressure that can cause heart failure or stroke in vulnerable people. The CDC (opens in a new tab) notes heart conditions are linked to a higher drowning risk. If you take part, ask your doctor first, never go alone, keep your head above water and get out quickly. See polar plunges and cold-water dips.

Sources: weather.gov (opens in a new tab), cdc.gov (opens in a new tab), redcross.org (opens in a new tab)

Dress for the water temperature, not the air, and wear your life jacket. That is the National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) rule. The National Center for Cold Water Safety (opens in a new tab) suggests thermal protection, such as a wetsuit or drysuit, in water below 70°F. Minnesota's DNR (opens in a new tab) recommends quick-drying clothes that keep you warm when wet, not cotton, and notes that boating accidents are five times more likely to be fatal in water colder than 60°F. See cold-water paddling.

Sources: weather.gov (opens in a new tab), coldwatersafety.org (opens in a new tab), dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab)

Because cold water takes away the breathing control that swimming needs. The National Center for Cold Water Safety (opens in a new tab) says that while hyperventilating from cold shock, swimming even 6 to 10 feet is often impossible, even for good swimmers, and that in water below 60°F most people can hold their breath only a third as long as usual. The National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) adds that cold steadily weakens your arms and legs. Wear a life jacket. See cold water shock.

Sources: coldwatersafety.org (opens in a new tab), weather.gov (opens in a new tab)

Treat every frozen pond as unsafe unless an adult has checked it. The Minnesota DNR (opens in a new tab) says there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice, that you can't judge ice by looks, and that ice over flowing water, such as near streams, bridges and culverts, is often dangerous. Its thickness guide (opens in a new tab) says to stay off new clear ice under 4 inches. Keep children off ice unless an adult has measured it and is right there. See ice safety.

Sources: dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab), dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab)

Call 911 first. Then move the person somewhere warm and sheltered, watch their breathing, and give rescue breaths and CPR if needed. The National Weather Service (opens in a new tab) shares Red Cross steps: remove wet clothes, dry the person and wrap them in blankets or dry clothes; warm the core (chest and belly) first; and do not warm them too quickly or put them in warm water, because rapid warming can cause dangerous heart rhythms. Their temperature can keep dropping after rescue. See hypothermia after cold water.

Source: weather.gov (opens in a new tab)

Check the water temperature where you boat or walk, not just the air. Make sure every paddler has a life jacket they will actually wear, and keep a set of ice picks with your winter gear if you go on frozen lakes. Tell your family the ice rule from the Minnesota DNR (opens in a new tab): under 4 inches of clear ice, stay off. Print the and read what to do if you fall into cold water.

Sources: dnr.state.mn.us (opens in a new tab), weather.gov (opens in a new tab)