The Official 2010 Ice-in Thread
 

Here is the official 2009-2010 Ice-in thread. With the freezing temps, snow, ice on Alton Bay and the lake temp below 40 degrees it is time to watch for ice-in.

Here we discuss the conditions all over the lake area. Please post pictures of your part of the lake as it freezes... links to PhotoPost are fine!

Several people have asked what determines ice-in. There is nothing official. My definition would be when the broads freezes over enough so the ice can grow and a warm rainy day will not melt it all and turn the lake liquid again. This does not mean it is safe to go out there!!!!!!!

For those who are new here... sometimes we wake up in the morning... check out Snake Eyes... and the lake is skimmed over with ice. We get very very excited!!! Occasionally we get fooled... and it rains and we have to start watching and hoping for a very cold, very calm night so the skim coat can start again.

The ice-in page is up for your daily watching.. at http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/icein.htm. All of the Winnipesaukee cams are there. If you want to see the other lakes go to http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/lakecams.htm.

Happy Watching

ps... my snowmobile is running... and waiting for safe ice!!! :D

Dear God...
 

Thank you Island Girl... It was pushing the 70 degree mark here in Dallas/Fort Worth and I was suffering in my short Short's while out of doors.

I couldn't imagine being without my extended Northern family this time of any year!!!!!!!!!!
Best wishes and Happy Holidays!
"You Go Girl"!
From Dallas/ Fort Worth,
Terry

It's to early for ice. I still need to put the de-icer in at the end of the dock. I could be in trouble ifthis cold sticks around:eek::eek::eek:

We had signficant ice form last Sunday and it stuck around until the wind kicked up today. Now, its moved out except for big chucks huddled around the shore. With the strong wind forecast for the next few days and very cold temps, the water should become superchilled, and a few hours of stillness let it refreeze.

The wind out today is pretty much destroying the ice in the bay. Even though we have low temps this wind is going to halt any good freeze. Plus it is sunny too. I say Jan 20th for ice in the Broads.;)

From what I could see it looked like huge white caps in the broads today.

I have a feeling the lake may not completely freeze this year. The water is usually much colder by this time. It may be an early ice-out, but who knows, we might get a nice long cold snap and that will get us caught up, but not with this wind we've been having!

Brrrrrr
 

This morning, my thermometer is showing 1.5 degrees and there is a layer of smoke swirling above the water in M'boro bay. The water temperature is catching up to where it is supposed to be, I think.

The winds are supposed to blow pretty good until Friday nite. My guess is that on Saturday morning, north of M'boro bay will be solid and by Monday, may even be safe to carefully venture on.

I am not a meteorologist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night...

If the air temps were staying above normal, I might agree with you. However, I don't think that is going to be the case this year. It looks to be pretty cold (normal or below) for at least the next week. The cold pattern could relax between Christmas and 1/15 or so, but after that we are going to go right back into the cold pattern.

No worries
 

Looks like we are closing the water temperature gap this week. I've had the same concern that the water temps were much higher this year than typical. But Mother Nature always seems to balance it out and we're quickly getting back on track.

I'm expecting a typical ice-in with safe ice before the end of January.

Yes, a layer of "sea smoke" seen above the waves in Alton Bay and out toward the lower broads. This will suck some of the heat out of the lake. It sure is draining the heat out of the house keeping both a pellet stove and a wood stove busy.

The next 5 days will really help ice-in... Supposed to be 0 and below at night for the next 4 nights and not about 20 during the day.

Latest Picture from NASA
 

I don't know if this matters......:)

Despite how cold it was today, the ice seemed to break up more than form as it was so windy. So unless it calms down, I don't think we will make more ice. We had some hooded merganzers floating around the past few days.

Water Temp
 

Looks like we are right on the button with last year at this time for water temp, this cold and wind in my opinion is good to get the overall water temp where we need it. If it stays cold and we get some calm nights / days we'll be in good shape.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for the Derby !!

The forecast for wind was wrong. North of M'boro bay (and well into it) iced over again last night. This time, it is shore to shore. I can't see any open water in any direction, but see some sea smoke coming off m'boro bay, well to the south.

Water Temps
 

The water temp is 36 degrees today (Friday) at Lakeport with continued cold air temps in the forecast. The ice man cometh....

If the ice man is cometh, I am putting in my request for hime to leave in 102 days. Please put your request in as well.:):laugh::):laugh:

Ice is growing
 

I noticed late this afternoon that the ice is forming in Meredith Bay. Skim ice from Grouse Point down to the Weirs. Not much in downtown Meredith yet. This is opposite of how the ice usually forms. Usually starts downtown and grows towards the Weirs. Lake was perfectly flat today and good for growing ice.

Yesterday afternoon I saw three people huddled together on the ice on Lake Pemmigiwasset fishing. Can't be safe.

some ice is safe
 

The ice is safe in spots. I ventured out on it today and measured the thickness at several spots, although stayed close to the shoreline and in shallow water. A good three inches of solid black ice. The ice is very strong, with no water showing around the rocks. 3" of black ice is not "throw caution to the wind" safe, but its reasonably safe for one person walking. You can see the bubbles and the cracks all the way through the ice, it is so clear and easy to tell how deep it is. Hopefully those on Lake Pemmi took the proper precautions.

In years past (1969-1974).. I have sailed across 3" of black ice on the Broads east of Rattlesnake on a DN Iceboat. EXCELLENT. 60 MPH or better...under SAIL. Did a LOT of Ice Boating in those years. On Winni...Usually in the spring when the snow settles and freezes at night. ...right up to Ice Out. :look: NB

Ice yachting on Winni looks like fun!

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Fun
 

Mr V, that is great.

I remember 5 or six years ago we had a cold December and January with little or no snow- the ice on Waukewan was great for skating, and as it turned out, iceboating! They were awesome to watch.

Reminds me of one of the old Hardy Boys books I used to read as a kid! Cabin Island was the title I believe.

In today's Conway Daily Sun:

Though all ice is potentially dangerous, the Cold Region Research Laboratory in Hanover offers a "rule of thumb" on ice thickness: There should be a minimum of 6 inches of hard ice for individual foot travel, and 8 to 10 inches of hard ice for snow machine or ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) travel. Keep in mind that it is possible for ice to be thick, but not strong, because of varying weather conditions. Weak ice is formed when warming trends break down ice, then the slushy surface re-freezes. Be especially careful of areas with current, such as inlets, outlets and spring holes, where the ice can be dangerously thin.

Complementary contest
 

I had an idea for a complementary contest. We could call it Darwin’s Bar Wins. In the spirit of “survival of the fittest” (and vice versa), the goal is to predict most closely the time (and place?) of the first vehicle to go through the ice. As the name suggests, the prize would be a gift certificate good for a few rounds at a local establishment (anyone willing to donate?). Regarding the rules, I think the incident should involve a car or truck, not a snowmobile or ATV, and it should not involve any injury.
Any other thoughts regarding rules or guidelines?

Lake Ice formation; http://www.gi.alaska.edu/alison/ALIS...ence_Lake.html

I think it would be in extremely poor taste to promote such a contest.

I was thinking the same thing.. Especially if someone where to get hurt. Shouldn't benefit by someone else's down fall. (no pun intended)

Water temp is 35 degrees at Lakeport
 

Right on schedule....

Ice at 4"
 

Things are getting really safe now around the northeast quadrant of the lake. Four inches of black and clear ice. I've attached a few pictures. One of cracks, to show the depth. The other was taken in five feet of water by laying the camera right on the ice.

Took this from out back of the church in Melvin Village tonight on the way home. Looks like plenty of ice setup in the bay at least.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g?t=1261605139

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g?t=1261605574

Here are some photos we took around Alton during the month of December:

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...0_366964_n.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._3433739_n.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._5490276_n.jpg

We've also uploaded a short video taken in Minge Cove during the second week of December showing us breaking our way out of the ice covered cove:

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-W...es/75623911712

That video is great. Thanks.

Three observations
 

1. Not only a great video, but 2. you also seem to have found one particular suave and debonaire fan:).

3. Today while driving by the area of Alton Bay and the bandstand, I was witness to what apparently is Capt Bonehead transformed into Evel Kneivel, riding a dirt bike on the ice in the bay, going past the bandstand heading out towards Sandy Point, doing a wheelie as he passed the bandstand, and when he put the front wheel down, did so in not so gentle a manner. I guess he figured that by going fast, the bike would skim the water like a snowmobile if he broke through :eek:. Good news was that when I came out of the Bay Post Office after getting my mail, he was just coming off the boat ramp, and parking next to his pickup truck.

There seems to be skim ice forming on many of the cameras this morning. Looks like those wishing for ice are getting their Christmas present!

If this is the guy you saw, it sounds like he did his homework before heading out...

http://pub32.bravenet.com/forum/stat...91510&cmd=show

Ice is tricky on 12/28
 

What was very safe ice around here on Saturday has turned tricky. The rain on Sunday formed pools on the lake, which ran into cracks and formed fairly large holes, some big enough for a foot or very small dog to fall into. There is a crackling crust where the remaining standing water froze, but not all of it, as some water remains between the 1/8" crust and 4" base of ice. Now its snowing, which will cover the drain holes. All should be safe again after a few days, but with a snow cover, it will be hard to tell. Stay safe!

I'll be up in 4 weeks from today. It needs to get cold fast. Thanks for the updates LG.

beginning to look a lot like ice in...
 

from Pine Island this afternoon -PIG

Wind = Bad
 

Looking at a few cams. Lots of wind and very little ice!!!!!

Braun Bay across to the broads has no visible ice. Large sheets of thin ice floated away with the winds this morning and is now dissolved.

Prediction for the next several days
 

What we need now is the wind to die down while it is still cold. The water is cold now and the air is very cold. If the wind dies down, the lake should skim over.

However, if we get a lot of snow right after the lake skims over, it will not be good. The snow will slow down ice growth and create unsafe conditions that might look very safe to some people.

Unfortunately, it is looking like the wind will die down Wednesday evening into Thursday, while still below freezing. This should make the lake skim over. The bad news is it looks like a good amount of snow for Thursday night into Friday, perhaps a bit longer. If this happens, it will not be good news for the growth of solid, black ice. It will also create a safe looking lake, that is really not safe in all areas.

R2B

The Weirs cam was showing ice forming in Weirs Bay.

Predictions
 

I agree with R2B. The lake could skim over tonight, though the temp at the Weirs is still 35, a tad warm. The last 24 hours has been very cold which will continue tonight with little wind. I would hope all the snow would just sink the thin ice. We don't want the season to start with poor quality ice.

I was disabled most of last winter and could not snowmobile. This year I am ready to go... the sled goes in for some work next week and then I will be ready...

Go Ice!!!
IG

Maybe I should change my name from Island Girl to Ice Girl for the winter!

There is now a light skim of ice in front of Black Cat.

Ice from Braun Bay to the broads this morning.

Snake Eyes
 

This morning most of the webcams showed a skim of ice. Snake Eyes showed open water... a bit of a ripple. Right now it is very calm and looks like it could skim over. (I hope not) It is about 21 degrees and the lake temp at the Weirs is 35.

Look here for the last 1.5 hours of Snake Eyes images. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, the latest image is blown up to view finer detail.

http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/snakeeyesall.htm

For all the lake cams at a glance, http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/icein.htm

And for all the cams with other lakes
http://www.rattlesnakecam.com/lakecams.htm


Snake Eyes, Your headquarters for Ice-In!! :D

IG

Snow
 

It has just begun to snow here in central MA....:coolsm:

Happy New Year

This morning there was a skim of ice from Belknap Point out to Welch Island with small patches of open water. The Broads appeared to be open.

Can't Wait!
 

That's good news slickcraft. ;) Won't be long before the bob house goes out!

Happy New Year to you and yours! :cheers:

Dan

Thanks 308 and the best to you guys.

Hopefully the weekend storm will break-up the ice skim so that the snow melts in the lake. Otherwise a blanket of insulating snow on thin ice will slow the formation of good ice as well as creating a false sense of security.

Dear Slickraft...
 

Not to worry, we have some of the very best fisher folk on this planet that auger there way out, measure ice thickness, and give the rest of us the green light when all is safe! Noth'in but the Best for us here in the Lakes Region! :) :) :) :)

ice fishing in Center Harbor
 

I spotted some ice fishermen and even a few bob houses out on the ice in Center Harbor on my way to work this morning.

Bob Houses?
 

There are Bob houses now out in Center Harbor? Anymore on the lake?

There's one out in Hubbard Bay

Thanks to all for keeping this flatlander up to date on ice conditions.

Alton Bay ice fishing
 

Seven bob houses on the ice in Alton Bay this morning and many hopeful fishing folk out on the ice. Give a choice of cleaning out the basement today or going fishing in the snow, it looks like fishing won out.

Moultonborough Bay Cam
 

There's one in the northern part of Moultonborough Bay, as seen on the Wab Cam (saw some sleds out there too..)

http://www.lakesregionwireless.net/bay/webcam.html

There are two on Winter Harbor by the Libby Museum. One is very close to shore.

Poof! Gone
 

Much of the broads is open water again... though big ice floes are wandering by Snake Eyes. Hopefully it will freeze overnight Tuesday to Wednesday with a forecast of 5mph. The wind forecast for the next week after that is a tad too breezy. Ugh!

IG

So judging by the Weirs cam and some others, the ice is "slush" ice not clear solild ice. The recent snow did what everyone was fearing it was going to do. Anyone have a report on Meredith bay ice? Any houses out there?

There are several Bob Houses out in 19 mile bay as well. Been there for a few days.

Belknap Point; Gilford docks
 

There is open water again from Belknap Point out to Welch however there is "slush" ice to the north.

While the area near the Gilford Town docks is frozen in, there are no bob houses to be seen there today nor was there anyone out on the ice.

Thanks Slickcraft...
 

for the update! Maybe by next weekend (if the weather holds) I can get the bob house out on the ice at Glendale.

Dan

States Landing
 

The States Landing Beach/Balmoral/Suissevale area is pretty solid, there are a half dozen or so Bob Houses out there already.

Given how cold it has been, the many reports of bob houses already out, the beginnings of the airport in Alton Bay, etc, it is startling to look at the Snake Eye's webcam and see nothing but a wide expanse of open, rough water. I'm sure it will skim over quickly if the wind dies down... though that is not expected over the next several days.

I hope people continue to treat the ice with caution. Clearly there is still a lot more freezing needed before venturing far offshore.

Centre Harbor Pics
 

I have read that there are Bob houses in Centre Harbor. Does anyone have some pictures they could post? Thanks.

Does anyone have a rule of thumb in terms of how long after the ice freezes is it "safe?"

What I'm asking I guess is what is the rate that ice is "made" once it freezes over. Is it measured in "inches per night" during subfreezing temp nights?

Hazelnut,

I found this last year when I was wondering the same thing. I'm sure opinions differ, but this chart looked to be very complete and had a good disclaimer at the bottom.

does anybody know if it is safe to get over to cow island

Ice Thickness/24 hours
 

My experience over 40 years of iceboating has been that if the air temperature stays below 20 degrees, an Inch of ice can be made every 24 hours if there is an inch or so to start with, which will prevent the wind from tearing up the surface ice. The chart above pretty much confirms this rule of thumb.

I have sailed on 2 1/2 inches of NEW black ice. I have also gone swimming when I hit slightly thinner ice....in the rain. :D I could actually see the ice around me bending, forming a depression under the combined weight of myself and the boat as I sailed over it.

A 12 foot long DN iceboat (~150#) with an 8 foot wide runner plank spreads the weight of boat plus driver over a triangular area of perhaps 40 square feet. A snowmobile spreads its weight over a triangle formed by the crosswise distance between the skis, and the rear of the track, with most of the weight on the area of the track in contact with the ice. Combine the weight of a snowmobile and rider and you have a LOT of weight on a small area. NB

NEVER SAIL or SNOWMOBILE ALONE on the ice. ALWAYS have a companion nearby on ANOTHER Iceboat/Snowmobile.

Bob Houses
 

When I left yesterday there were 2 bob houses on both sides of the Long Island Bridge (windward and leeward sides).
There was also one in Center Harbor about half way down the harbor...pretty far out on the ice that is not that thick

Wolfeboro Bay
 

Has anybody seen activity in Wolfeboro Bay ? I want to head out to Barndoor Island on derby weekend. We went up on derby weekend in 2007 & 2009 and did'nt catch a thing. This year I think we'll cut a hole in the ice !!!:laugh:

And always carry your ice picks around your neck when on the ice.

Stay Safe Out On The Ice...
 

And know how to survive, if the unexpected should happen. Never go it alone, and never consider the ice as safe on any body of water!

How to survive falling through the ice... Video from the Discovery Channel; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnKtuUTt8k

Terry

The Citizen had a pic of ice fishing on Center Harbor accompanying an article on the web site today (might have been in the print edition too): Citizen article

Thanks for the link.
That was some video.

Careful! An article in tday's paper has this statement:

"Center Harbor Fire Chief John Schlemmer said the bobhouses that fisherman put out last week have all been brought back to shore."

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...866/-1/CITIZEN

was over on the north end of the lake this afternoon looks pretty safe. There is a bunch of bob houses from cow island all the way over to melvin village down to lees mills.

We need the wind to calm down, it looks (via the web cams) that except for the broads, the ice is forming nicely.

Wind, wind, go away...........

Ice and wind
 

The forecasters say the wind will be with us for a while. Does anyone know if the ice in any of the coves or bays is thick enough/safe yet for snowmobiling?

There were more bob houses on Alton Bay this morning along with a parked SUV and a snowmobile running around. Further north at the transition from bay to broads there also was a transition from ice to open water. Safe enough on the lower bay? Well apparently for some but I am not going out there yet myself.

View from Gunstock
 

Looking at the lake today from the top of Gunstock, it was beautiful. However, the broads are wide open and that is a huge part of the lake!

There is a long way to go for the ice outside of the bays. From Governors Island to the mouth of Alton Bay to the entrance of Wolfboro Bay, it is water. We need the wind to drop and we need it to get colder than it has been the last few days for the ice to grow.

The good news is the bays have locked up and the thickness is to the point where the wind is no longer a factor for most of that ice.

R2B

Looking at Snake Eyes this morning....looks like the Broads are "Caught", ...Nice Black Ice. :) NB

EDIT: 11:33 AM Now it's snowing.. some of the ice is wet.

Calm Winds
 

It looks like there is still some open water near Welch Island. The wind is calm right now... let's hope that continues for a while longer so the rest of the broads can solidify.

Yay!!!!! :D :coolsm: :)

IG

There was two trucks plowing on alton bay webcam this morning... im sorry but you wont see my truck out there for a few more weeks.

Ice in??
 

Looking out from Ames Farm and Belknap Point this morning there was no open water in view, sure looked like the Broads were solid. Maybe we will get a report later today from the Alton Bay fly-in pilots.

As there is more than a two week variation in time of initial ice set-up on the lake, the conditions are quite variable.

At the Glendale docks there were snowmobile tracks heading out as well as a track from a hand pulled plastic sled.

Planes there today
 

Are there springs where.........
 

the ice does not form or get thick or??? I hear from some that it is not safe to do things like drive on the lake. Any information would be appreciated.

Im definatly a visual guy
 

Webbsatwinni,
I love your chart. Here is a visual interpretation of the data calculated using your chart. I was always curious about the effect of temperature on the rate of freezing and the effect of thickness on the slowing of thickness. This chart shows it is pretty dramatic.
Thanks

Rattlesnake Guy,

That is great, I an sure we will see that in the "ice in" thread for years to come. And on other forum too.

I can't wait to get back to the island!

Must not be much current in the water because even the Weirs Channel is quickly icing up with this recent cold snap. Ice has creeped its way up to the tail end of Channel Marine.

Not seeing any open water on any of the webcams anymore. While still far from safe, is it time to declare Ice-In and start the Ice-Out thread? :D

VERY GOOD POST!!! I know there are many who love winter sports but I personally can't wait for ice out and warm weather!!! Boating season 2010 is just around the corner!:D

Well I love winter sports too. Skiing many weekends and the occasional sled ride. But I'll admit that by mid-March, I'm usually ready to watch for the ice-out countdown.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :)

I've told you once and I'll tell you again the best cure for the wintertime blues lies on the back of a sled! HK Powerspoorts probably has a few sitting in the showroom with your name on them.

Looks 10 days of good ice making. Then lets hope for a foot or two of snow.:)

So Cool and So Timely
 

I have to share this with all of you. I can not believe how timely this is in light of the discussion regarding ice safety. One of my former students that graduated a few years back from my TV Broadcasting program at the High School I teach at is now reporting for a western MA Television station. His first ever live report was on none other than "Ice-Safety." Back when he was a student of mine I saw something in him that lead me to believe he would eventually end up doing great things. Now here he is only 22 years old and hopefully on his way! I have to say I am very proud of him!!! :D

Oh yeah and the info is timely and related to this thread too:

http://www.wggb.com/global/video/fla...=&rnd=71691392

If that link doesn’t work try this one:
http://www.wggb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11796073

Cool for you Hazelnut
 

That must be pretty cool to see one of your students broadcasting. You must be very proud and rightly so! Congrats. It was a great newscast with good points. One that I find to be most important......never go out on the ice alone.

Thanks for sharing...:D
eillac@dow