BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The rain this week is going to have a big impact on outdoor winter activities.
At the Ice Castles in New Brighton, workers are preparing to lose as much as 50% of their ice.
"Getting into the upper 30s, 40s, and rain is like the worst thing we can have,” said ice maker Nathan Bartelt.
The Ice Castles crew got an early start this year thanks to an early cold snap in November, but the rain this week could undo a lot of their hard work.
"With these temperatures, we really don't lose a lot of our ice. It's the rain that takes it all down,” Bartelt explained.
Good news is the cool down next week should help them rebuild.
"I think we're going to be able to catch up pretty quickly," Bartelt said. "We've got a great crew and we can build fast when we get those cold temperatures."
And it's not just the Ice Castles. According to Buck Hill's Facebook page, the ski hill is closed on Tuesday due to the rain.
They're hoping to be back up and running on Wednesday.
Welch Village in Red Wing is also closed until Thursday, according to the ski hill’s Facebook page.
Dave Hanson at the Bloomington Park and Recreation Department says the rain this week will also impact their outdoor skating rinks.
“It’s going to make the ice just too soft to skate on,” Hanson explained.
The city manages around 20 outdoor ice rinks. Hanson says some of those rinks were ready to go this weekend after several weeks of hard work.
“We did have skateable ice. People were skating on it earlier this weekend before the warm weather came,” Hanson said.
The parks department was originally hoping to officially open their skating rinks on Dec. 15. Due to the rain, they’re now pushing that date back to Monday, Dec. 19.
“We’re going to work on them this weekend. We’re thinking we should have them ready to go next Monday,” Hanson says.
Other cities in the Twin Cities metro are also planning to close down their outdoor ice rinks this week. The Minnetonka Public Works Department announced Tuesday that the city likely won’t be able to open up its outdoor ice rinks until Dec. 22.
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