Officials are warning residents not to venture over the ice, despite a cold snap that descended over much of the island in the last week or so.

Rick Noseworthy of the Avalon T’Railways Association says ponds and rivers may have caught over, but the Avalon saw temperatures as high as 16 degrees only a week or so ago.

He says ice conditions just can’t be trusted when temperatures are fluctuating so wildly.

“Especially on the Avalon. We need to be so careful, because we made ice different here.” He provided Deer Park as an example. Just days ago the pond was completely open, but when the temperatures dropped, the ice started to form along the shore and in the coves. He says even after the entire pond caught over, the ice in the coves had a 2-3 day head start on the rest of the pond.