The water temp is pretty much where it was in December of 2006, a year when many also worried there would be no ice-in. The lake was still mostly open in late January.
But it got very cold in late January, and February, and by the end of January, there were reports of 10" of ice. It can change quickly. It is New England, after all.
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ghlight=iceout