Warmer Regina weather causes less than ideal outdoor rink conditions

With warmer February weather comes extra motivation to participate in outdoor activities, and for some that means lacing up the skates and heading to the outdoor rinks.

With that in mind, the City of Regina is warning people to use caution before stepping on the ice.

Ray Morgan, director of parks and open space for the city, said the warm temperatures can cause the ice to become soft. He said the ice can feel “spongy” and compresses easily with the skates.

“When it’s hard, it’s smooth and it’s relatively easy to stop, but when it’s spongy it can create tripping hazards for the public,” Morgan said.

The city has 59 outdoor rinks located at 41 different sites.

He added people shouldn’t be worried about any rinks being shutdown due to melting.

“We have a really good base of ice on there. Now it would have to take a good couple of weeks of plus temperatures in order for us to see an impact where we’re looking at shutting down rinks.”

The city goes out in the mornings when there are minus temperatures and floods the surfaces to ensure the ice remains intact.

The City of Regina begins to evaluate the rinks around the end of February to decide when they should begin shutting them down.