I know. I didn't mean to imply that. I was just wondering how cold it would have to be.

If we could bring the cold down from Mt Washington that would help. -15 and a windchill of -60! We sure don't need the 90mph winds making that!:eek:

What a break up
 

In howling northwest winds, the ice between Black Cat Island, Three Mile and Bear has broken up like a celebrity couple. It made quite a show, as ocean-like swells came into shore laden with shards of ice and a few good-size bergs 2-3 inches thick. The ice piled around 5 feet high on Black Cat Shoals/"Mousetrap Ledge," and continued drifting southeast. Frothing whitecaps and freezing spray replaced the ice pack.

There is now quite an ice accumulation on shores and objects with exposure to the northwest. The temperature on Black Cat Island is now 13 and dropping, while the winds are now 20 mph gusting to 46. The strongest winds are forecast for this evening.

At least the temp is dropping! :rolleye2:

Awesome photos -- thanks for the great report.

CLA,

It is amazing what the wind does to ice and how the wind plays such a big factor on both ice-in and ice-out. Great job in conveying this to those not lucky enought to see it live.

Stay warm!

R2B

Is it still very windy today?

You're Welcome
 

I'm glad you've enjoyed the ice reports and photos as much as I've enjoyed taking/posting them. Yesterday was truly one of the wildest days I've ever seen in weather. It is one thing to see the ice break up on a windy spring day when warm temps disintigrate it, but it is something much more humbling to see the ice breaking up in such windy conditions when the temperature is in the single numbers, making berg stick to berg and shards pile into cakes and solidify.

It is amazing how the lake has its own weather sometimes. Last night when the airport automated systems around the state had significantly less wind than earlier, we were sustaining 32 mph (the highest of the day) with the day's peak gust to 60 mph at 11:40 pm. The walls and floor shook, the trees bent over, and I was amazed they didn't break. The lights blinked off for a few seconds and that was it. It wasn't like a quick summer thunderstorm - the 45-50 mph gusts kept hitting for an hour straight.

The waves were on the order of 3 feet, and now their splashover zones look like crystal chandeliers.

The winds today have gone below 10 mph at times, and at other times they're more like yesterday's. Currently it's NW at 16 and increasing, with gusts running around 30 mph.

Alton Bay Ice
 

Here are some pictures taken today, 01-21-07, from Alton Mt. Rd looking out toward the end of the bay.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...107-altmt1.jpg

and the same shot with a little telephoto kicked in.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...2107altmt3.jpg

and finally a shot from the same location, looking over Alton Bay toward Wolfeboro. That would be Alton Bay in the foreground, with Wolfeboro bay in the background, with apparently ice out to around Clark Point, I think.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...t-to-wolfe.jpg

Sorry I didn't get any other pictures earlier, but I have been a little busy this month, and when there was ice, I wasn't able to get a picture, til now. :(

Ice in!
 

It is looking more and more like we are about to enter a prolonged period of two important atmospheric conditions required for ice-in: low tempatures and low winds. Aiding the ice-in will be a few periods of light snow over the next few days. This should allow the lake to skim over and for the skim to get two a few inches thick by Thursday. From there the ice should continue to thicken.

If this happens, the derby might still happen. I hope I am right.

R2B

I hope you're right too my friend!

Ice-In weather is here again
 

R2B I think you're right! My fingers crossed. I didn't think I'd get to say this less than 12 hours after 40 mph wind gusts, but it's absolutely still out there now. Then again, this is New England and if you don't like the weather, wait a minute (Twain).

Temp is 12 degrees and the radar's showing blue blobs closing in on us from the south and west.

Here's a look at what the shoreline was like today.

-Arctic Wolf

Thanks for those photos. Not many have seen that sight in late January! I especially like your screen name: CanisLupusArctos? Now, it will be impossible to forget the scientific name for the rare "Arctic Wolf".

Where did the idea come from? ;)

Arctic Wolf
 

Great photos!

Spent a bit of time on your website. Impressive work... reminds me of some of the work done by John Gill.

Glad to have you here.

CLA, I love the reference to Saturdays swells looking ocean like. Thats exactly the analogy my wife and I used. Darndest thing I saw all weekend (until last nights game, that is:( ). I was surprised Weirs Bay seemed to skim over again Saturday night, but it was short lived.

Winds
 

It is looking like the calm winds will continue until Wednesday. Then, it looks like 5 to 10 mph Wednesday afternoon and most of Thursday.

The bad news is Friday looks like it will be very windy again.

If the ice thickens enough to handle the light winds of Wednesday and Thursday, it should be able to survive Friday in the bays. Friday will be the big test.

R2B

Ice-In, take 2
 

Let's try this again! Ice-in, that is. With calm conditions and temps in the low teens, the ice south and east of Black Cat is once again IN. It isn't thick yet, but the long-term weather pattern promises more cold, and windy conditions aren't expected again until the next arctic blast on Friday and Saturday. Hopefully the ice will have more time to thicken before then!

Thank you for your compliments. To answer your question about where my name came from, it was inspired by the career-launching project of my favorite photographer Jim Brandenburg. In the mid-1980s he made several visits to a remote part of the arctic to find arctic wolves. He and the writer, a biologist, not only found them, they became accepted by the pack and were allowed to stay alone at the den with the pups while the adults went hunting. National Geographic put one of Jim's photos on the cover: an arctic wolf in mid-air, leaping between two floating chunks of ice on the bay.

Ever since I was a teenager I've gone out on frozen Lake Winnipesaukee and often imagined I was on the tundra - that Mount Washington in the distance was really Denali, and on those calm frigid nights when the moon lights up the cracking and booming lake ice and the snow-covered evergreens, I want to go out there in the middle, watch the aurora borealis, and listen to a pack of wolves singing an echoing song from the Ossipees.

I've seen the work of John Gill and met him - he does some incredible work - but it's Brandenburg's inspiration that this wolf sniffs out, with the North Star always providing the compass.

I just checked Belknap and Weirs cameras and they are just about ice in and have some snow cover. Hopefully it gets thick enough to withstand some more wind that I heard is on that way.

Woo Hoo!!!
 

We have ice!!!!! Now we wait to see if it holds...

Time to fire up the snowmobile!!! :D :D :D :D

www.rattlesnakecam.com/icein.htm

The high of 5 degrees on Friday should help! :D

My snowmobile is loaded on the trailer. I just got to do some prep work on it and it'll be ready for it's 800 mile journey from down here. I'll bring the two atv's also. Anybody want to go for a ride? :D

Looks like ice everywhere when viewing the cameras this morning. Friday's winds may not matter if it's skimmed over everywhere as it appears it will be.

Merrymeeting closed up overnight too. http://65.175.136.103/view/view.shtml

Let's hope that everyone stays off the ice until it thickens enough. Seems every year that we hear an unfortunate story of someone who ventured out too early or too far.

Now all we need is a good nor'Easter!

Weirs Bay seemed very solid this morning for the short time its been iced in. Oh yeah, a note to any Laconia city workers perusing the forum, time to turn on the town docks bubblers!

Yikes!
 

What will that do to the hull and motor? Aren't you worried? I don't think I've ever seen a boat survive a freezing into the lake. Do you have a bubbler to keep the water open near the hull?

Blue Thunder

FLL, I have a spare bubbler if you want to borrow it. Might be a little late to get it in and you'll need power, but it's yours if you want it.

....what-me-worry......no way?
 

Yes, it is still in the water. My old yard sale, five dollar, 1/6hp pump wasn't working too well, so I made a major sixty-four dollar purchase of a Lowe's 1/6hp pump and set it up as a dock circulator. It draws only 2 amps. So far, so good. It's keeping the area around the boat motor and 40' dock clear all by itself. I know that's hard to believe. I cannot believe it and I've was checking it out today. Maybe, because the water is 4 feet deep or less. If tomorrow is a good sunny day, I'll try to post a photo.......maybe captioned 'fully winterized,' or 'do-it-yourself boat removal' or 'speed limits totally unnecessary!', or something. Maybe, if it warms up to 40 degrees, I'll get to finish installing that fish-finder & depth guage that I started last April? Hmmmm, maybe some early season boat painting? Oh well, winter has a ways to go here so no need to rush!

WE Worry!
 

Just keep the engine running!
 

If you keep the engine running at idle and in gear the water will keep moving and won't ice up. The motor will be warm so this will prevent the block from freezing. Since it is an aluminum boat it should not crack like a fiber glass boat.

As my mother would say "Lots of ideas but none of them good.":rolleye1:


Good luck with your bubblers!

The lake temp went UP to 35*. ???

Ice Everywhere
 

For those not up here, there is much more ice today than there was all last year. The only water I see is in the Weirs channel, but even that is closed up much more than last year. The ice is trying to thicken up and I believe we have enough to hold up against the winds coming Thursday evening into Friday.

The ice is covered with an inch or so of powder snow, just enough to reflect the sun's heat, but not enough to insulate the ice from the cold. It is still in the upper 20's at about noon and it will be turning very cold in the next 12 to 18 hours. It should be at or below zero for several nights in a row starting Friday.

I saw one bob house on Alton Bay and someone drilling a hole or two yesterday morning.

Stay safe out there!

Winter has arrived!!

R2B

The Dance of the Babes on Sleds
 

:laugh: :laugh: The babes are holding off on the snow dancing to allow the ice to thicken some more... Then we will be bouncing off the walls to get a nice comfy coating on the lake .... get those snow machines ready!!!!
:D :D :cool: ;) :) :) ;) ;) ;) :coolsm: :coolsm: :coolsm:


(sorry, for all the smilies... I am just so excited!!)

IG who really really wants to ride out there!!!

I plan on taking a ride out to the island early next week by airboat (as soon as my new toy arrives from Canada :D ) and will update everyone on what I see further out.

I am contemplating offering a winter transportation service for those that want to get out to the islands from time to time, as well as cottage checks and dock circulator monitoring for the season. Gotta pay for this thing somehow...

Trips to help fix the Rattlesnake Cam at any time are on the house, although junk food is always welcome :laugh:

Airboats
 

Have fun with your new toy.... I suggest you make friends with the other airboat owners on the lake...... get a few pointers so to speak...

I do appreciate the offer for rides to fix Snake Eyes.... that could happen.

(don't let anyone stand behind the boat when you start it.... they could get blown away.... literally!)

IG

Quick -- check out the Pine Island Cam and tell me those aren't snowmobile tracks going across the ice!

Yow! Seems a little early, don't you think?

http://mysite.verizon.net/pineisland/PineIslandGuy.jpg

Who is that nuts???
 

Looks like it to me!

Oh to be young and immortal again.

snowmobile tracks for sure!
 

good eyes Grant, too bad no one caught it in the cam as they zipped by!!! i thought maybe we could follow the tracks on the Pine Island South Cam, but they must have been out of range in that shot.

with this weather it won't be long before we are trekking out by foot for an island visit (and to fix the kink in the line of the 'ice eater' which is now blowing over to bear island)...

cheers! PIG

I find it hard to believe that someone would be out there now, I cannot imagine the ice would hold it there. Of course in my younger years I did some stupid snowmobile moves that I would not do today. :eek:

Sorry to rain on your parade but . . .
 

those aren't snowmobile tracks.:( Those are cracks in the new ice and the darker area is where water has seeped onto the ice. We have many of them down near us. Sorry Island Girl . . . but keep slow dancing for the cold and ice! The only things I've seen on the ice near us are some crows and a red fox.

...ice is thin!
 

Spent some time chopping some lake ice today with an ice chopper, and the very very thickest was about one inch. Last night left a white snowy dusting across the ice and it is checkered with watery dark spots. Even went in in my bathing suit, and guess what, it is definately cold, but that hot tub-icy dip combination is an old Norwegian tradition, according to Uma!

Lots of Ice!
 

Our drive from West Alton to Center Harbor today confirmed that the recent cold weather has resulted in all areas of the lake that we could see being ice now. Here's a view taken from Gilford looking north across the lake.

http://www.echoshores.com/ForumPics/Ice_012407.jpg