Philadelphia's Schuylkill River has partially frozen over, attracting thrill-seekers who are eager to explore the icy surface. However, police have issued a stern warning: stay off the ice.
The lure of walking or ice skating on the river is too great for some, but officials are urging people to heed the warning. The Philadelphia Police Department has reported multiple incidents where individuals have ventured onto the frozen rivers and streams, prompting the department to remind everyone that ice conditions can change rapidly.
"We're getting reports of people walking and ice skating on Philadelphia's rivers," police posted on social media over the weekend. "This is illegal for a reason. River ice is not as thick as it looks – moving water underneath weakens it and conditions can change fast. Please stay safe and stay off the ice!"
The city has seen no rescues yet, but that could change at any moment. Police are taking a cautious approach, focusing on education and awareness rather than issuing citations for those who don't comply.
If people refuse to get off the ice when asked, police can issue citations for violations within Fairmount Park, which includes parts of the Schuylkill River and several other frozen waterways.
It's worth noting that this is a rare occurrence – the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers haven't frozen over since January 2018. For it to happen, temperatures need to be in the teens and 20s for five consecutive days, which has been the case here recently.
Meteorologist Eric Hoeflich warns that even brief warm-ups could make icy surfaces more treacherous if temperatures plummet again. "You generally need temperatures to get into the mid-40s for it to really start to break up," he said.
The National Weather Service is predicting a cold snap for the next week, with highs in the 20s and lows in single digits most nights through Monday.
Hoeflich advises people to stay off any frozen body of water where the ice is less than 2 inches thick. For walking, ice skating, and fishing, it's safest when the ice is at least 4-5 inches thick.
As one officer in New Jersey recently learned, ice on lakes and streams can be deceivingly thin – a rescue effort went awry when an officer crashed through the ice while trying to save a teenager who fell through an icy pond.
The lure of walking or ice skating on the river is too great for some, but officials are urging people to heed the warning. The Philadelphia Police Department has reported multiple incidents where individuals have ventured onto the frozen rivers and streams, prompting the department to remind everyone that ice conditions can change rapidly.
"We're getting reports of people walking and ice skating on Philadelphia's rivers," police posted on social media over the weekend. "This is illegal for a reason. River ice is not as thick as it looks – moving water underneath weakens it and conditions can change fast. Please stay safe and stay off the ice!"
The city has seen no rescues yet, but that could change at any moment. Police are taking a cautious approach, focusing on education and awareness rather than issuing citations for those who don't comply.
If people refuse to get off the ice when asked, police can issue citations for violations within Fairmount Park, which includes parts of the Schuylkill River and several other frozen waterways.
It's worth noting that this is a rare occurrence – the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers haven't frozen over since January 2018. For it to happen, temperatures need to be in the teens and 20s for five consecutive days, which has been the case here recently.
Meteorologist Eric Hoeflich warns that even brief warm-ups could make icy surfaces more treacherous if temperatures plummet again. "You generally need temperatures to get into the mid-40s for it to really start to break up," he said.
The National Weather Service is predicting a cold snap for the next week, with highs in the 20s and lows in single digits most nights through Monday.
Hoeflich advises people to stay off any frozen body of water where the ice is less than 2 inches thick. For walking, ice skating, and fishing, it's safest when the ice is at least 4-5 inches thick.
As one officer in New Jersey recently learned, ice on lakes and streams can be deceivingly thin – a rescue effort went awry when an officer crashed through the ice while trying to save a teenager who fell through an icy pond.
... I mean, I get it, Philly's Schuylkill River is looking all cool and frozen right now, but like, don't be that guy who thinks he can outsmart Mother Nature 
. Police are being super chill about it, but honestly, if you're gonna try to walk or ice skate on the river, you're basically asking for trouble 
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. The city's been warning people for days, and now they're only stepping up their game when it comes to issuing citations. Like, get off the ice already! 
And those temps? 20s and single digits? That's no joke, either.
. The Schuylkill hasn't frozen over since '18, so kudos to the weather gods for giving us a rare treat. Just, please, for the love of all things good and holy, stay off that ice! 
so there's this super chill spot where people are literally luring themselves into danger... like, I get it, it's kinda fun to explore that frozen river 
, but come on guys, have some common sense?! the police are just trying to save lives over here 
, and yeah, let's not pretend like ice conditions can change in a split second 
. I mean, I've seen those videos of people walking on ice with no problem and then suddenly CRASHING through... like, what even is that?! 
. Like I get it, it's cold and fun to ice skate on rivers, but come on! 
The police r literally trying to educate people on how thin the ice is & still ppl r ignoring them 
Ice alert! Philly's Schuylkill River is freezing over, but don't get too excited 
. Police are super strict about staying off it – multiple incidents already & they're not messing around 
. 2 inches thin? No thanks, stay safe! 
! I mean, yeah, it's kinda pretty with the snow and all, but safety first, right? 
I totally get why police are being strict about it – you never know when the ice is gonna give way. And let's be real, who needs to test that out for themselves? Not me, that's for sure! 
The fact that it hasn't frozen over in years makes this even more crazy, and now with temps forecasted to stay low for a bit... I just hope no one ends up hurt 
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I mean, what if someone falls through or gets trapped? It's just not worth it. The weather guy was saying something about the ice needing to be at least 4-5 inches thick for it to be safe and I'm like "yeah no kidding" 
The thing is, ice might look all pretty and safe on the surface but trust me, underneath it can be super sketchy 
. It's like that old saying goes - you can't always tell how strong someone is by looking at their exterior 
️ I mean, I get it, people wanna have fun, but safety should be the top priority 
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. I mean, I get it, the Schuylkill River is looking like a giant ice rink right now 
. You need to check the thickness and conditions before you even think about lacing up those skates or taking a stroll across it 
. I hope everyone stays safe out there! 
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. The police are right to warn people off, but also educating them about the risks would be a great idea too 
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. And the fact that ppl are gettin away with it on socials too, like, "oh I went ice skatin on the river" 
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. And those warnings from the police department? Don't even get me started... like people are gonna listen 