Ocean Freezes Over in Massachusetts–Officials Warn People Not to Walk on Ice

Ocean Freezes Over in Massachusetts–Officials Warn People Not to Walk on Ice
The bay in Falmouth, Massachusetts, froze over due to plunging temperatures. (YouTube video - Ryan Canty / screenshot)
Jack Phillips
1/8/2018
Updated:
1/8/2018

Beachgoers in Massachusetts were in awe to discover that a bay had completely frozen over.

Ryan Canty posted a video on his YouTube channel, showing his family on the frozen waves at Old Silver Beach in Falmouth, Mass.

Canty said that his grandmother, who lives nearby, only saw the ocean freeze three times in the past 80 years.

Temperatures in Cape Cod hit -4 Fahrenheit on Saturday.

Ocean waters freeze at a lower temperature than plain water due to its high salt content.

“It’s certainly unusual,” said Falmouth harbormaster Gregg Fraser, according to the Boston Globe. “We don’t have this much ice this early in the season, typically.”

“If you’re standing on the shore, it’s ice as far as you see.”

“Hopefully we’ll get a warm-up here,” he said. “We’re hoping this upcoming week the above-freezing temperatures will knock out some of it.”

Don't do this: People walk on ice that formed over the bay in Falmouth, Massachusetts, which froze over due to plunging temperatures. (YouTube video - Ryan Canty / screenshot)
Don't do this: People walk on ice that formed over the bay in Falmouth, Massachusetts, which froze over due to plunging temperatures. (YouTube video - Ryan Canty / screenshot)

Fraser, however, warned people to stay off the ice along the beaches because the water currents can make the ice unstable.

“We discourage anyone from going on saltwater ice, because it’s unpredictable,” he said.

Dangerous: A woman walks over the bay in Falmouth, Massachusetts, which froze over due to plunging temperatures. (YouTube video - Ryan Canty / screenshot)
Dangerous: A woman walks over the bay in Falmouth, Massachusetts, which froze over due to plunging temperatures. (YouTube video - Ryan Canty / screenshot)

Videos, nevertheless, show people venturing onto the ice to explore and take photos.

“It’s so dangerous to do that,” Weymouth harbormaster Paul Milone said. “Moving water doesn’t freeze.”

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Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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