News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Lake Huron is sealed by a layer of ice around its coast on Thursday. As the weather continues to get warm over the week, ice progression on inland lakes and the Great Lakes may slow down or weaken.

ALPENA — As the weather continues to get warm over the week, ice progression on inland lakes and the Great Lakes may slow down or weaken.

On Jan. 17, Presque Isle County Undersheriff Chris Flewelling dug into the layer of ice covering Grand Lake and saw an estimated three to four inches.

For the rest of the week after Flewelling’s inspection, Northeast Michigan experienced chilling temperatures with wind chill values as low as -8 degrees on Saturday.

While the freezing temperatures helped to thicken the ice layers, Jeff Zoltowski, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said that the warmer temperatures coming in, that go higher than 32 degrees, may slow the progression or even melt some of the ice.

Zoltowski could not speak on whether the ice would be safe or not to walk on, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a list of safety tips for anyone looking to trek on the lakes.

The DNR says that any warm spells that continue for several days will weaken ice and cause it to thaw during the day and refreeze overnight.

This may pose as an issue for anglers who hope to participate in the Black Lake sturgeon season that starts on Feb. 3.

While there is no forecast yet for the following week, past anglers who participated in the season said Black Lake has had about 12 to 14 feet of ice over the past few years.

Tim Cwalinski, DNR Fisheries Unit supervisor, said in a previous report that he expects this year’s weather to be as usual as the past years, but noted that the season starting date will not change if there are issues with ice conditions.

He recommended all anglers take extreme caution whenever on the ice.

If anyone breaks through the ice, the DNR says to turn toward the direction that the person came from and to roll away from the area of weak ice, as rolling will distribute the weight more evenly to avoid breaking through again.

Afterward, it is recommended to go to a shelter, replace all wet clothing with warm and dry articles, and consume a warm, non-alcoholic, and non-caffeinated drink as soon as possible.

Black Lake sturgeon season registration has opened up online until Feb. 2 for all anglers wanting to participate in the five-day hunt.