Just a few weeks ago...
 

Here is Just Sold's picture of Alton Bay today. The next one was taken on February 19 at the same location. Amazing.... people find so many ways to have fun on the lake!

Water Temps Preceeding Ice-out
 

Here are the water temps preceding and at the time of ice-out.
Not sure of they have any value to anyone, but it kept me busy for a few minutes. :laugh:

April 20th 2004 - 42 degrees at ice-out.

Temperature hit 39 degrees on April 10th – 11 days to ice-out.

April 25th 2003 - 40 degrees at ice-out.

Temperature hit 39 degrees on April 19th – 7 days to ice-out.

April 5th 2002 - 41 degrees the day after ice-out.

Temperature hit 38 degrees (Doesn’t show 39) on March 28th – 8 days to ice-out.

May 2nd 2001 - 45 degrees at ice-out.

Temperature hit 39 degrees on April 24th – 9 days to ice-out.

No water temperatures for the preceding years.

38 degrees yesterday
 

...and it hit 38 degress yesterday. 8 Days to ice out and I win!

ME TOO! MY GUESS IS THE 16th TOO!

Given my guess is always one of my offsprings birthdays, I'm guessing I'll miss again this year, huh? Birthday - today...

Saturday's Ice conditions
 

The ice is variable and quite thin but just beautiful.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...1068-1600w.jpg

You're a-l-l-l-l-l dreaming.

It was already "Ice-Out" for me today.

I motored down my shoreline, checking the ice margins in my trusty aluminum "K-Mart" cartopper. (Sorry, FLL).

Before I started, I gathered oars, seat cushion and passed up the life jacket. Why? There's no MPs out there; however, the water temperature is even colder than I'd drink a beer at, :eek: so on it went.

It was such a nice, quiet, sunny day, I motored upwind as far as the ice would permit (about ¼-mile), and "sailed" back with the wind -- all the time taking in the sun, critters, and bird songs. "Motored", I mean, with my trolling motor. (Rowing was out: I'd selected the oars without the oarlocks attached). :emb:

It's Saturday, and there's no construction -- or inhabitants.

Aside from a giant front-end loader scraping boulders a mile away, it was silent. Oops -- I forgot. Someone was shooting a gun as fast as you could pull the trigger :eek: , and someone else (at a McMansion) set off fireworks -- at Noon. :rolleye2:

I'm disappointed in one of my neighbors, who dumped tree cuttings down his steep embankment on the lake. (Photo to follow). One of the things that jams up an "Ice-Eater" is drifting branches. They will take chunks out of the little propeller, according to my Winnipesaukee AquaTherm guy.

The water was, once again, crystal clear, and you could peek under the ice into 15-20 feet of water and see the bottom clearly. I'll wager you could see a tiny fishhook in 15 feet of water. (But still not see far enough under the ice to see my "elusive" mooring).

In some places, it was 3", and was flaking off as I passed. In others, it was a foot thick, and solid as granite. We may be in for some real icebergs this season -- and Official "Ice-Out" will depend on which ports don't have icebergs in them!

The water level is 20" BMDS (below my dock's surface) -- which was one of the last to be submerged in the past "flood" (and Lakewide No Wake Zone).

ApS

"Ice out, will never be the same!"
 

Thanks to your brilliant Photos, and adding DRH's and Upthesaukee's to your Ice Out Watch, you have all brought forward something very special.
Even the folks that live here year round don't always have the time to watch the Lake defrost!... My point?
Now everyone can. You all are the Best!

1st Swim of the Season!
 

Lucy, an acquaintances dog could not resist the water at Winnisquam today.
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...ter_Lucy_2.JPG
I also went over to Smith Cove at Fays Docks today for this shot
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...e_4-9-05_2.JPG

Lucy gets my vote for "L Street Brownie" trophy winner...First in the water, with ice not yet out. Brrrrrrrr. Glad you didn't have to wade in to get her to come out!!!!! Great pictures.

Nights like this past one will slow it down
 

The current view on the Weirscam shows that a significant area of "open" water has skimmed over with a thin layer of ice and the temp is showing as 29 degrees.

While I know the sun will melt it in no time, the ice out should be slowed by below freezing nighttime temps this week. Glad I resisted turning on the water at the camp.

Lily pond should be totally open today. In the past Winni's been a 1 - 2 weeks behind :)

Black Ice?
 

I noticed that the ice on the Bear Cam is almost black. I know people talk about the ice turning black but does it really get this dark? Is an an optical thing? Am I looking at water puddles on the top of the ice?

http://www.bearisland.org/images/bearcam.jpg

Bear Lover -

Today's picture of the dark ice on the Bear Cam is pretty accurate. The ice is similarly dark in the Snake Eyes and WeirsCam shots.

You can see another view of the darkening ice at: www.rattlesnakecam.com/westalton.htm, which shows the hi-res picture I took of the ice in West Alton earlier this afternoon.

Oh, yes it is!
 

The broads is completely gray right now. Out here on Rattlesnake Island we have watched the ice turn from white at air temp of 28 degrees this morning to gray gray gray at an 58 degrees at 2:45 pm.

I hope to post pictures tonight. It is just remarkable to watch the changes. Where there is melting there is a foot of water on top of a layer of ice. The main body of the lake is very very soft. the birds are singing and the turkeys and a deer have stopped by.

Stay tuned... spring is here!

The Broads today - 4-10-2005
 

Driving by this weekend.
 

Well this weekend I took a ride by the lake and it is all looking promising. Lots of open water.....Ice out is just around the corner. I am jealous though. Some people already having the ability to get there boat in the water. (even if it was a car topper), and a dog with the courage to venture into the water...I am feeling like I am behind..... but when I stopped at my camp on the Northside of Long Island the ice was pushed up to the shore front ..... although I suppose I could have put the kayak on the ice and looked silly...........

I hope others are as impatient as I am......

"Only a cartopper?"

Hey...that cartopper is on the lake -- and we'll get another look at another sunny Lake Winnipesaukee today! :)

Over the square mile overlooked here, the ice DID NOT turn white last night -- as it had the previous night -- with comparable temperatures.

The open water along the shoreline re-froze, as my bubblers have been off for two weeks, but should be clear -- or fragile enough -- later today for another tour.

Wind opened the open-water gap to the ice by ten feet or more.

It's always The Wind -- the wild card in this "Ice-Out" game.

Keep hitting! Keep hitting!

You know what? A photo of your kayak on the ice would speak volumes at PhotoPost!
:)

Gray/White/Gray
 

Was up this weekend. The ice turns gray everyday and white again at night. The ice is still pretty thick up in the Tuftonboro/Moultonboro area. You can walk on it no prob right off twenty mile beach Sat. Mirror lake is Black and looks like it will go this week for sure. Winni will still take some time.

Very interesting, indeed...
 

This should delay ice-out by a minute or two... :laugh:

Pillow Fight?
 

You can't see this on the webcams, but snow has blocked all views beyond ½ mile, and the flakes are huge. It's as if there's been the world's biggest pillow fight.

The ice has moved out to 100' from shore now, (from 60' yesterday, having lost 10') amongst the "bubbler crowd", anyway.

The wind was very strong this morning -- hastening The End.

The lake is warming and the ice is moving
 

The lake is up to 39 degrees. The WeirsCam shows moving ice. Earlier today there was open water and ice far out, now there are large sheets in front of the cam...

Yay!

It's breaking up!
 

The wind is helping. The current Weirscam image shows significant ice flows. Thursday looks to be a windy day too so I haven't given up all hope that we could be free and clear sometime this weekend. More likely early next week, but a man can dream....

Ice on the move!
 

Todays Weirscam image again shows large masses of ice on the move toward the channel!

These sections move along under the bridge with the current, and pile atop one another just south of Four Seasons. Further down the bay it looks as though huge snow piles have developed along the shoreline - these are actually ice piles due to the force of the ice moving toward the dam. It's fascinating to watch this progress, and so exciting to see all the boathouses at Channel and Thurstons are full!!!

C'mon Ice-Out! :D

Lily Pond
 

The lily pad is free of ice.

http://www.citizen.com/april_2005/04...rd_041305g.asp

Won't be long! :D

Web Cams on the "other" side of the lake?
 

Does anyone know of any web cams on the east side of the lake? Say in the 19 mile bay area, Melvin Village, Lanes End Marina...

Anyone interested in setting one up? I have to admit I am not familiar with all the technical requirements to do this or the cost of maintaining a web cam. I have researched the equipment thanks to some helpful input from “Island Girl” and it does not seem too difficult to set up… but then it never does until you have it in front of you and are trying to get it working! :rolleye1:

In the absence of web cams on that side of the lake, has anyone done any recon in the vicinity of Chase Point or Cow Island? :confused:

Water Peeking Through
 

Great to see some open water on the fringes of Snake Eyes and Bear Island Cam!

wooo hooo
 

Major ice break-up on the Pine and Bear cams!!! Look for the flag to be raised on the Pine Island cam Saturday :)

MELT MELT MELT!!!

PIG

RattlesnakeCam.com makes regional TV report
 

Watching New England Cable News channel (NECN not to be confused with sports network NESN) on Comcast cable last night (4-13-05) my ears perked up. Around 7PM I heard the weatherman talking about ice out watch at Lake Winnipesaukee. At least twice during that segment he mentioned that viewers could follow the progress on the web at RattlesnakeCam dot Com. Since they often re-use items that may not have been the only segment that mentioned Island Girl's ice-out site. That was some very nice public relations.

Also an opportunity to say, "Thanks" to IG for all her efforts. I really enjoyed the recent tour but can not single out just one of your threads as my favorite - they are all great :) . I don't usually post just to say thanks, but you and some others help make this one great forum and web site. The pictures, stories, history, banter, information and etc.. From the prolific to the occasional poster to those that just read and lurk. You all contribute to making this one great place on the web. Skip had a good list in a recent post in a different thread. Of course, as Pepper alludes, Webmaster (or is that benevolent dictator :laugh: ) Don brings it all together and makes it happen. Thanks to you all.

Now IG, can we expect a picture of the Florida style winter transportation you used for the tour and to go to and from the Island?

Hope to see you all on the lake this season.

Mirror Lake is Out
 

Just heard from friends on Mirror Lake that the ice is all gone.
12 days and counting.

Wentworth Cam
 

Hi Chris:
I've found the Lake Wentworth Cam to be a good resource for gauging ice-out on some of the smaller lakes/ponds in the area. On the following link you can chronicle ice-out on Wentworth since April 1.
DAILY ICE-OUT PROGRESS ON WENTWORTH
Here's a link to the LIVE CAM
and here's photo from this morning....
and here's one from later in the afternoon. Apparently the bugs are OUT! I hope not the blackflies yet!

Ice out article in Union Leader
 

Lots of ice yet
 

I have just journeyed to Rattlesnake Island and there is still a lot of ice. The chunky areas refroze overnight. It was 28 this morning.

Time will tell with the warmer temps this weekend. I will be picture taking... and posting later.

Not yet...
 

May be a little bit longer than webcams hint… ;)

I just did a quick search of the forum, using the "Most Views" option in each category. Unless I've done it incorrectly (entirely possible) this is the most viewed thread EVER on winnipesaukee.com.!!! At the moment 7,792 viewings and it hasn't even been posted for quite four weeks yet! IG: I guess you really knew what was on people's minds this time of year. Thanks again! McD

Blimp Cam anyone
 

I wonder what it would take to get a web cam up in the air so as to give a view like that in GWCs post ? Anyone got a surplus blimp or weather balloon ? If we could get one tethered to Rattlesnake I and tied into IG's connection would it be called Eagle Eyes ? :coolsm:

Actually the more I think of it the more I like it. It's one of those crazy stupid ideas that could be pulled off with just a little chutzpah. "Mee" always says I have chutzpah ... hmmm ... no wait ... it's sounded like chutzp ... phutzpah ... oh I remember, it was putz ... errr ... nevermind. ;)

McDude -- not only is the number staggering...the thread has been opened for 23 days, over 8000 views now, and that's over 350 views daily, on the average. Absolutely amazing... who'd a thunk it 3 weeks ago...I mean that many people want to sit around and watch and talk about ice melting!!!! :laugh:


Seriously, give the people what they want, and they will come back time and time again. Great job IG!

Sunset from the island
 

Sunset tonight was magnificient. My friends and I walked up island a bit to watch the ice move. A channel had started through the ice and the water started moving. Then some ice floes traveled through and the channel widened. This sunset also shows the channel that was not there an hour earlier. How powerful mother nature is!

The ice is not safe for any travel except for hovercrafts and airboats.

That picture is magnificent too IG but you didn't post the link to the large wallpaper size version that I'm sure will be on many desktops soon. It's already on mine. :)

It's linked now
 

Thanks. I have fixed the picture. Now if a user clicks on it, the large version will come up.