Yesterday was a terrible, tragic day in New Jersey as two teenagers fell through the ice of partially frozen ponds and weren't able to be rescued in time.

The first incident happened in East Brunswick, with the second coming just hours later in Carteret.

The tragedies serve as a stark reminder of how dangerous bodies of water can be in the winter, even if they look frozen.

Experts say that it can take as long as two to three weeks of below-freezing temperatures before ponds and small lakes are safe to walk on, and even then you have to be aware of signs that the situation could become dangerous.

Our sister station, NJ 101.5 quotes a Rutgers University expert as saying that this winter simply hasn't been cold enough for long enough:

"And that's simply not enough time for any water body to freeze over to a thickness that can support anyone being on it. It just hasn't been brutally cold for any extended period of time this winter."

Rutgers State Climatologist David Robinson goes on to say that even after days of freezing temperatures, it's still likely that a whole body of water isn't safe.

You can click here for much more on ice safety in the Garden State from our sister station, NJ 101.5, and you can click here for more on this week's tragedies.

 

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