ORISKANY- The temperatures between February and March have fluctuated between warm and cold, so the Oneida County Sheriff's Office is warning snowmobilers to be cautious, especially when approching bodies of water.
They recommend riders avoid any areas with standing water along the shoreline. They also said there could be pockets of ice that a 500Ib snowmobile could easily fall through.
They also said to not be fooled by the most recent cold spell, because the ice isn't safe.
"This time of year the ice is definitely thawed, its melted and then its rethawed, so it's not necessarily new ice," said Lieutenant James Paravati with the Oneida County Sheriff's Office. He said new ice is safe.
"At least 5 inches is what the recommendation is for new ice, clear ice, not broken ice."
Paravati recommends taking a snowmobile safety course.
Link for course: https://parks.ny.gov/recreation/snowmobiles/safety-courses.aspx
Link for safety tips: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html
