Lake Michigan
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Dear students,

Lake Michigan provides a beautiful backdrop to our campus year round, but the freezing temperatures we are experiencing now create “ice shelves” along the coastline. Although these are a wonderful spectacle, there are dangers associated with these frozen sculptures.

The shelves can, at times, extend hundreds of feet into the lake. Although the shelves may look sturdy and you may be tempted to walk along the ice shelf, large waves and churning of the water can cause unstable gaps in the ice. Large pieces of the shelf can break away, causing people to become stranded on a piece of ice in the lake.

Although the ice appears to be sturdy, it certainly is not. Large pieces of a shelf can become very heavy and break off, causing people to plunge into very frigid waters. Hypothermia sets in almost instantly once in the lake.

Please, take time to view the winter spectacle but do so from a safe spot on campus. The Tower lakeside lobbies provide a fantastic and safe vantage point.

Thank you,

Office of Public Safety

SPONSORING DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, OR ORGANIZATION:

Public Safety

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Erin Mortensen emortensen@carthage.edu