"My main safety concern right now is parents watch your children around creeks and ditches."

That from Winkler Fire Chief Richard Paetzold, noting the recent runoff could freeze and tempt kids into walking onto the ice.

"This is when little kids can drown," he says.

He cautions residents to stay clear of all waterways and creeks, warning the temperature has reached a dangerous in-between stage, "not warm enough to keep things open, and not cold enough to make good ice."

"Exercise a little due caution," he says.

Meantime, the Town of Altona is urging people to stay off the ice at the Buffalo Creek Nature Pond. Officials say the ice is thin and unsafe. "Thin ice" signs have also been posted around the pond.

The region received around 10 to 15 cm’s of snow in the Red River Valley, with higher accumulations approaching 30 cms in the Southwestern corner of the province.

Temperatures are expected to hover in the single digits throughout the week, nearing a high of minus two by Friday.