Official 2013-14 Ice-In Thread

[gokart-mozart]

Originally Posted by Geneva Point

I was at Geneva Point area in Moultonborough today and Melvin Bay is not frozen yet. There's some thin ice in our cove but the Bay is open.

Lake Wentworth froze over on November 30 and, despite some challenges in the first week from rain and 40s is now frozen solid.

[Merrymeeting]

The ice on Merrymeeting reported above disappeared once the wind came up, and we are ice free for now.

I expect that if the wind dies, we could get a flash freeze quickly, as happened a few years ago. For about a week, we had beautiful, dark black ice that was smooth as glass. Great for ice boating and skating!

Maybe it'll happen after this weekends storm as all the snow landing in the water chills it more.

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

No doubt the water is cold enough to freeze. It just needs a couple of calm nights. Went to check my thermometer this morning but the ice formed. The coves around CI are frozen as well. I didn't turn on my ice aerator on until late January last year. Still cooking outside though!!! That grill will come in today with snow coming ...George Forman until late March

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

No doubt the water is cold enough to freeze. It just needs a couple of calm nights. Went to check my thermometer this morning but the ice formed. The coves around CI are frozen as well. I didn't turn on my ice aerator on until late January last year. Still cooking outside though!!! That grill will come in today with snow coming ...George Forman until late March

So what are the bags over the posts for?

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by Steveo

So what are the bags over the posts for?

Too funny Steve O, after I added the photo I said "someone is going to look at those bags and say what the heck is that"
I have solar/battery powered lights that are mounted to the top of the dock posts. You can easily remove the snap top housing, containing the bulbs and wires, from the base of the light. The plastic bags are a lazy effort to keep any rain out of the bases. There's only a mirrored reflector in the base and I am only slightly worried about them filling with water and expanding when they freeze. The bags should help.

[Merrymeeting]

Lots of slush riding the waves on our waterfront today. That's usually an indicator that the water temps are right for freezing and the only thing preventing it is the wave action and wind. Should freeze quickly if things settle down.

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

Too funny Steve O, after I added the photo I said "someone is going to look at those bags and say what the heck is that"
I have solar/battery powered lights that are mounted to the top of the dock posts. You can easily remove the snap top housing, containing the bulbs and wires, from the base of the light. The plastic bags are a lazy effort to keep any rain out of the bases. There's only a mirrored reflector in the base and I am only slightly worried about them filling with water and expanding when they freeze. The bags should help.

Just drill some weep holes in the corners of the plates, it won't effect it structurally

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by Steveo

Just drill some weep holes in the corners of the plates, it won't effect it structurally

This is the light. There is really nowhere to drill without cosmetic damage. The last dock lights I had allowed spiders and other bugs into the housing and by summers end it was filled with cocoons and dead bugs. These lights snap on at the top and when secure keep the inside of the lights free from bugs and other crap. The bags, which are heavier than ordinary plastic bags, aren't necassary but should help keep them clean.

[Wetbiker]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

This is the light. There is really nowhere to drill without cosmetic damage. The last dock lights I had allowed spiders and other bugs into the housing and by summers end it was filled with cocoons and dead bugs. These lights snap on at the top and when secure keep the inside of the lights free from bugs and other crap. The bags, which are heavier than ordinary plastic bags, aren't necassary but should help keep them clean.

Where did you get those lights??

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by Wetbiker

Where did you get those lights??

Lowes in Gilford carries them. They worked great this past summer. The LED light has a blue tone to it.
They come with two rechargeable AA batteries which are recharged through the solar panel.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_254599-67197...hts&facetInfo=

[Merrymeeting]

Back to our regularly scheduled topic of Ice-in...

As suspected, large portions of Merrymeeting skimmed over last night. The open areas have plumes of steam rising this morning as more heat goes out of the water. If it stays this calm, I'd expect the whole lake to skim over by the end of the day.

However, the wind is supposed to come up later in the morning. It will be interesting to see how/if the ice survives.

[Merrymeeting]

While I can only see about 1/3rd of the lake from my house, and the other end usually freezes last, I believe we have ice-in on Merrymeeting.

It skimmed over the night before last. Wind yesterday broke up much of it. But for the first time, several large ice floes remained at the end of the day, and they rejoined during the night. I woke up at about 2:30 last night, and in the bright moonlight I could still see several areas of open water where the water was rippling. But by this morning, those were closed up and there is now ice as far as we can see from this end. Once it closes up and the wind can’t whip up the waves, it usually stays. Especially with the temps we have now!

Most of the surface is rough, and it will be covered with snow tonight. Sadly, I’m sure we’ll be hearing reports over the next few days of snowmobiles going in as the surface will look inviting to some dummies, but I’m sure won’t be safe in all areas.

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

I found the same ice formation around my docks at sunrise this morning. I noticed most of the shorelines and coves along WB Blvd. were iced up as I drove to DD's. The rest of Paugus Bay was still water but since then most of Paugus Bay has formed a skim of ice. I have never seen it form so fast in the day light. The water is dead calm and the lake is rapidly turning to ice.

[mcdude]

PaugusBayFireFighter: You got me good with your signature that appears to be a bug inside my monitor screen. Yes....I was sitting here trying to squish the bug. Was I surprised when I scrolled up and the bug moved!

[JPC]

McDude, he got me yesterday. I actually hit my screen a couple times before I realized it wasn't real.

[tis]

Me too. I tried to get the bug off the screen and then decided it was in the screen. Finally I realized it was just PBFF.

[upthesaukee]

PBFF owes me for a new laptop screen... I'll be darned if that little bug was going to get the best of me. Back to Ice In.

[Bear Island South]

Ice in is definitely happening, it probably won't last but we are ahead of the game from last year.
Here are some shots from the south end of Bear looking towards Mark Is.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by Merrymeeting

While I can only see about 1/3rd of the lake from my house, and the other end usually freezes last, I believe we have ice-in on Merrymeeting.

It skimmed over the night before last. Wind yesterday broke up much of it. But for the first time, several large ice floes remained at the end of the day, and they rejoined during the night. I woke up at about 2:30 last night, and in the bright moonlight I could still see several areas of open water where the water was rippling. But by this morning, those were closed up and there is now ice as far as we can see from this end. Once it closes up and the wind can’t whip up the waves, it usually stays. Especially with the temps we have now!

Most of the surface is rough, and it will be covered with snow tonight. Sadly, I’m sure we’ll be hearing reports over the next few days of snowmobiles going in as the surface will look inviting to some dummies, but I’m sure won’t be safe in all areas.

To misquote Mark Twain, my reports of ice-in on Merrymeeting were greatly exaggerated.

It turns out that the larger portions of the lake that I couldn't see are still open. Even more interesting, the portions that were ice covered are opening up again. This despite the fact that temps haven't gone much above 20 for the past 72 hours or more. I'm guessing it's a combination of insulating snow allowing melting from below, coupled with winds that are now picking up again. Things are opening up when I would have expected the reverse.

[jazzman]

Just a few small pieces floating in the protection of my breakwater at the se end of the broads.

[playinghooky]

Alton Bay is somewhat iced in from the bridge out to around Echo Point. There are some unfrozen spots in between. The problem is the snow that fell on top of the ice that was not fully frozen will make like a blanket of insulation on top of the ice and not allow the ice to fully harden making for unsafe conditions. Supposed to get down below zero tonight but the winds are howling so not much progress will be made overnight.

[Pine Island Guy]

well I guess it's time to pull the Alumacraft, it doesn't look like we'll make it out by boat this weekend unless the cooling trend changes dramatically...

from the webcam this morning, good ice forming from shore well out to the broader open areas... bearcam also looked like there's a good skim out on the lake... will be interesting to see what happens with the predicted snow today, too bad because the way it looks now it would be ideal for skating, ice-boating, etc!

my Christmas wish... please Santa make it freeze fast, solid, and thick! -PIG

[Lakegeezer]

The time lapse link from the WeirsCam shows the ice setting up this morning. If we get the snow tonight, we'll know for sure what's frozen in.

[SteveA]

Just before sunrise today.. while taking some Moon Set pictures.. got this ice forming