D.C. Police warn residents to stay off the icy Potomac River as deep cold persists

Police issue safety warning after reports of people walking on river ice

Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department is warning residents and visitors to stay off the ice on the Potomac River, after officers became aware of multiple people attempting to walk on the iced-over water near the Georgetown waterfront. The department said the activity is both dangerous and illegal and can rapidly turn into an emergency requiring high-risk rescues.

The warning comes amid one of the region’s most sustained cold spells in decades. The Washington area recently logged its longest consecutive run of below-freezing temperatures since 1989, a stretch that helped maintain widespread ice on local waterways, including sections of the Potomac. While air temperatures briefly moved above freezing, additional rounds of bitter cold were expected to limit melting and keep ice conditions unstable.

Why a frozen-looking river can still be unsafe

Public-safety officials stress that visual appearances are unreliable on tidal and flowing rivers. The Potomac’s current, varying depth, wind exposure, and temperature fluctuations can produce uneven ice thickness and weak spots—even when the surface looks uniformly frozen from shore. Areas near channel bends, outfalls, bridges, and places where the current accelerates can remain thin or open without being obvious.

Cold-water immersion adds a second layer of risk. Safety guidance from federal and state agencies emphasizes that cold shock can occur within the first minutes after falling into cold water, impairing breathing and movement and increasing the risk of drowning even for strong swimmers. Hypothermia can then develop as body temperature drops, and danger can continue even after a person is removed from the water.

Rescues can endanger first responders

Officials also highlight that entering icy water does not only put the individual at risk. A collapse through ice can trigger emergency responses that expose rescuers to hazardous conditions, including unstable ice and frigid water, while operating under time pressure.

What residents should do instead

• Do not walk, skate, or attempt to cross the Potomac or other District waterways when ice is present.
• Keep children and pets away from ice edges, which can crumble under body weight.
• If someone falls through ice, call 911 immediately and avoid going onto the ice; use a long object from shore if possible.
• For boating and paddle sports during cold conditions, use properly fitted life jackets and cold-water protective gear, and monitor conditions closely.

The police warning is aimed at preventing avoidable emergencies as freezing conditions keep ice in place and create rapidly changing hazards on the river.

Officials said the safest choice is simple: treat all river ice as unsafe and stay off it.