Sledders and fishermen are being warned to be careful and not try going out onto area lakes just yet. Despite the recent cold snap, you need to have patience.
"There's quite a lot of snow out there. The first snow all blew off then we got another pile but I wouldn't be venturing out yet," Rob Hyatt of Lake Nipissing Ice Bungalows told BayToday.
Hyatt says he's already seen snowmobile tracks on Lake Nipissing, but the snow actually acts as an insulator on the ice.
"So it has to be much colder to make ice...it blankets it. The other thing is if it gets mild the snow gets a lot of moisture content in it, it becomes quite heavy and puts weight on the ice. If you drill holes there's a good chance the water is going to come up on top of the ice and it creates a lot of slush. You have to watch it."
Temperatures are expected to rise over the next few days, reaching zero by Wednesday.
But you won't have long to wait. Hyatt expects to have his ice huts out by January 1.
Meanwhile Lake Nosbonsing is still dangerous says Marc Hyndman, owner of IceHutRentals.ca.
"There are hundreds of pressure cracks on very little ice because of the snow we have already.
"Anyone with December bookings on Lake Nosbonsing should cancel right now. The ice is extremely poor with hundreds of pressure cracks from the daily snow pushing down and almost no ice. Go on the ice and your gonna die."
It takes at least two inches of ice for one person and five inches for a snowmobile. Wait until it is a least eight inches before driving your car out.
