With tragic death of an ice skater as a reminder, know the thickness of ice before you go

With afternoon temperatures rising through the upcoming weekend, warnings have been issued about the stability of ice on bodies of water through the Sierra.

Over the weekend, search and rescue teams responded to Stampede Reservoir in Sierra County, north of Lake Tahoe. A group of eight people had been ice skating on the lake when the ice broke and six of them fell through. The two skaters on top of the ice assisted in the rescue of five skaters. The sixth, 72-year-old William Smallfield of Truckee, had been further out when he fell through and they could not find him. Emergency responders and support from the air were able to locate and retrieve his body the following day.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has put out a warning due to the uptick in rescues of people falling through the ice.

With temperatures running 10-15 degrees above normal ice will be thinning. Ice that is 4" thick can support walking and ice fishing, 5" can support small groups of ice skaters, 6" is the minimum for snowmobiles and ATVs, 9" can handle cars, and 12" or more can hold medium-sized trucks. Anything 2" of under will not support human activity.

"If you aren't 100 percent sure about the thickness and quality of the ice, don't go out," said NWS Reno.