certainly looks solid enough to withstand the mild days this week. nights need to be cold

19 mile bay
 

4 tents, 1 house and a couple of ATV's over the weekend.

Winnisquam is ice north of Pots Island. Open water area appears to be where the river flows. Unusually, must have something to do with the high water levels. Little bit of snow coming on top of it. I’ve fishing season is here.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Waukewan Snow Clearing
 

Snowblowing crews were busy yesterday and this morning clearing snow off Waukewan in preparation for the Pond Hockey tournament.

Attachment 18377

looks good - fingers crossed the long term forecast drops. 40s is some real soft ice

I'm guessing at this point it's definitely on Waukewan? Hoping what's there holds up until next weekend.

Yes - meredith bay isn't being prepped. waukewan definitely thick enough to last through the tough stretch ahead. just need long term forecast to dip into 20s the days we are actually playing, or the top of the ice will be too soft. I'm guessing they tell us waukewan is 100% when they release the schedules tomorrow

Saw a lone ice fisherman on Center Harbor this afternoon. He was pretty far out, right in the middle.

How is Lake Waukewan holding up
Through this mild spell? Weather looks promising for next week otherwise

Should be fine...
Other than the parking not being optimum...
It should be an epic weekend weather and event-wise.

Meredith Bay not quite safe...
 

From the LDS...

https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news...468f94070.html

No Ice In
 

Based on the current ice / no ice condition, today's date and the upcoming 14 day weather forecast...I can comfortably say that in my opinion Winnipesaukee will not see an ice in or complete ice over this year. :(:(

I guess that just means us islanders will get out to our camps a little earlier which is fine with me!!:D:D

Dan

Last no ice in was recorded???


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

"Asked when the last time the Big Lake was so open at the end of January, Emerson said, “I can honestly say, never. Usually, the whole lake is frozen for some years just the Broads are stubborn to catch.”

Last year was February 6th. I would not count an ice-in out of the question yet, but the next 10 days doesn't appear to support it.

I was wrong, I thought there would be enough cold in January but there were too many windy days when it was cold enough. Looks grim now, no Arctic air anywhere in sight for the first half of February.

But there will still have to be an ice-out if the bays are frozen...so let's make our guesses in the contest. In fact, I encourage everyone to make their guess TODAY (except me, I'll wait till the end of the month!)

The contest requires Emerson to declare Ice In sometime in February, and not declare Ice Out before March.

So if Emerson never declares or the glazing over the Broads does not hold... the contest is cancelled.

How so? You don't technically have to have full ice-in during a season in order to have and ice-out in the spring. Ice-out is when the Mount can reach all of its ports. It can't do it now, but it is not ice-in either. if it never locks up, there will still be an ice-out.

Actually the rules as written do not say that at all and never have.

The changes the webmaster made TODAY allow that to happen as the rules state he is allowed to change the rules at any time which he did today...

Honestly and not that I care, but I see no difference if ice in is declared as Ice in does nor affect ice out as it relates to the mount and her ports...Ice out will still be declared by Emerson if the lake freezes over or not....

Dan

It was #2 on the contest condition.

...... the cold and sun!
 

Today is Friday, Feb 2, 2024 which is the first day of the 2024 Pond Hockey tournament in Meredith NH that was moved from Lake Winnipesaukee to nearby Lake Waukewan, one mile south, due to insufficient ice surface on Meredith bay. Is the 15th year for this event that draws hundreds of hockey players from all over for three days of organized ice hockey, and various off-ice activities.

It actually looks like the weather will very good with sunshine and colder temps forecast for Saturday and Sunday, while today, Friday, could have some soft ice surface later in the day with temps getting up to 38-degrees, today.

There's been exactly zero sunshine for the last 7-days, one solid week of gray cloudiness, so having the sun and the cold, below freezing temps on Sat and Sun should be a very happy ending for what's been a very challenging hockey ice situation due to recent warm weather. Apparently, the weather will get cold enough and the sun will show up to make the Pond Hockey a very happening outdoor event. A happy ice hockey event will still be happening despite what was an unusually warm month of January. Looks like the weather is finally going cold and sunny just at the correct hockey time on Feb 2, 3, & 4.

I actually made the same comments last year when it appeared there was a small chance the lake wouldn't completely freeze. I think it was the best way to deal with the contest if that happened.

I have a question. If Ice Out is when the Mount can reach all its ports, why isn’t Ice In when it cannot reach all its ports?


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

I believe tradition.
Emerson may have come up with that definition years ago... as any ice in any of the ports would mean Ice In... even if the ice only extended a few feet out in any of the ports.

No Ice
 

February 2nd and no ice to be seen anywhere from my home and vantage point… Highly doubtful for an ice in this year…

I’m good with March boating.

All open north of Diamond up to Steamboat. That seems to be the ice line. Open around Sandy as well. I imagine the broads side of Rattlesnake is wide open, but we have a band of ice between route 11 and Rattlesnake. South of Sleepers and Rattlesnake is open to the mouth of the bay. There were no shacks on the bay last night when I went through, just a few brave souls fishing.

MODIS imagery
 

A snip from today's MODIS imagery:

A friend sent me this picture taken at Cattle Landing yesterday.

You could launch a jet ski or a 12' rowboat at Cattle Landing by rolling it on foam noodles, through the 60"-wide opening in the blue fence, and down the smooth grassy/snowy embankment into the water. Probably just sliding it over the hard snow on the slope and into that open water to the right of the town dock.

This is a panorama (taken today Feb 4, 2024) of the Broads side of Rattlesnake, shot from Wolfeboro Neck. See Parker Island on left and Rattlesnake on right.

Hey Dan!
Is that snowcapped, Mt Chocorua in the distance?

Resolution is limited, but that white bump just to the right of center seems to be Mt Shaw, in the Ossipees, and the white peaks in the left third of the picture likely are in the Paugus range. From the top of Gunstock, the very tip of Chocorua can be seen poking up above the ridge heading south from Mt Roberts, at the north end of the Ossipees. After skiing down a short distance, that bit of Chocorua disappears behind the ridge, so it wouldn't be seen from down on rte 11.

[edit Feb 7] The Gunstock top webcam view (https://www.gunstock.com/discover/webcams/) shows how the tip of Chocorua peeks up above the ridge to the right (south) of Mt Roberts. Of course, on a day like today, with great visibility, the snowy cone of Mt Washington appears further off, to the left of Mt Roberts in that shot.

From my vantage point everything I can see this morning is skimmed over. Possibly a few strips of open water to the north that I can’t quite make out with binos.

Cold tonight but after that a warm up. Will be interesting to see if it lasts.

Yup! Same here definitely iced over! It may not last the afternoon but if Emerson flew over, he definitely could declare ice in today if only for a few hours!

Dan

Ice In
 

Not sure why ice in has not been declared...The broads from my view are fully iced in and have been for a couple days now, this includes the area between Welch and Ellacoya which is always last to freeze. My cameras on Welch show no open water anywhere also...

Maybe Emerson just doesn't feel like flying??...:confused::confused:

Dan.

The airport has been closed since Monday from 8 am to 4 pm, hopefully be back open tomorrow. Trees needed to be removed from approach paths.

Is it possible to have Ice in and Ice out on the same day?

Probably not given the "Ice Out" requirements

In my freezer ice maker, every day. :D

Check out our latest fb post with ice update video from Tim McDonald, Marine Solutions.

https://www.facebook.com/lakewinnipesaukeeassociation

Ice in declaration
 

Pilot Dave Emerson declared ice in today.

Dave

https://www.wmur.com/article/ice-in-...-2024/46698704