Nicole Higgins DeSmet

Free Press Staff Writer

SOUTH BURLINGTON - Police warned on Thursday ahead of school vacation week that no ice is safe. But finding ice will prove a challenge.

The temperature had reached 63 degrees at about 2 p.m. Thursday, the highest on record for Burlington in February since record keeping began in 1884, according to John Goff, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service in South Burlington.

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Spring-like weather is predicted to last through the weekend. In fact, a flood watch was issued in central and northern Vermont from Friday evening to Sunday evening, according to the weather service. Rain is predicted in Chittenden County and temperatures were expected to reach 60 degrees on Saturday.

Ice conditions on Thursday were already dangerous, according to police in South Burlington. The recent spring weather and snow melt has resulted in very unstable ice on rivers, streams, ponds and Lake Champlain

A statement from the department read:

"We urge parents, family members, and other care givers to educate their children as to the dangers of this seasonal change. Hypothermia will quickly incapacity wet, struggling victims and render them incapable of self-rescue."

The U.S. Geological Survey stated that Lake Champlain was 36 degrees on Thursday, not cold enough for ice, but cold enough to cause a body damage.