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For the Northern folk like me

Post where you boat and official Ice Out

Lake Winnipesaukee in NH

Ice out declared 4:55PM today.

Won't be long now

Average ice out on our lake in northern MN is April 20th and it looks like that’s a good guess this year.

And just got the word my boat has been splashed!!

Of course it's going to be 70-80 degrees at the lake this weekend and I'm booked with the family to ski at Jay Peak. Hopefully the 23rd, I'm on the water though

I remember the days of ice out.

I don't have to worry about that anymore but surprisingly, we havent' had the boat in the water yet. We've had a few nights in the last couple of weeks where it dipped into the upper 20's and I didnt' want to risk anything since I dont' have the easy drain.

Plus, my blood has thinned to the point where being on the water when it's 65 just sounds cold. I'll make up for it on the back end through November..

We are still having winter with another few inches of snow yesterday, hopefully the last of it. Ice out won’t be until May which is very late even for us in Minnesota. We are all ready for spring to arrive and in another week it looks like temps will be back to normal high temps which is 63º by the end of April.

Live view.

Damn Bum: I'm used to your pics being vibrant instead of bleak. Makes me appreciate the south.

Winnipesaukee historically has also averaged April 20th for ice out, but that's changing. The past 4 years have been between April 2nd and April 8th. We've never had a four year run of such early ice out. New England has seen the highest increase in average temperature of any region in the country and the biggest increase has been during winter. The average day time high in Burlington, VT has risen 7 degrees in the past 50 years during winter.

As a diehard downhill skier, I'd rather this not be the case. As great as it is to have my boat in the water already, outside of the occasional heat wave, it still sucks for boating this time of year. It really doesn't get good until around Memorial day for boating (though we still get out several times before then) and the water remains pretty chilly for swimming until mid June.

I'm heading up to the marina today to start prepping for the season. I'll be tempted to take a quick spin, but I'm not sure I will do so. Only a high of 51 at the lake today. I'm really considering getting an Isinglass enclosure for my boat. Leave it on from the start of the season untill Memorial Day weekend and then put back on again for October.

But on the skiing note, Jay Peak was divine this past weekend. My son and I were skiing in 70+ weather both days with 80% of the mountain still open. Really awesome way to end the ski season.

Couldn't resist. Just a quick spin as it was bitter on the lake. I was skiing those ski trails in the distance with my daughter just two weeks ago

Awesome CDH!

CobaltDeadHead wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:59 pm Couldn't resist. Just a quick spin as it was bitter on the lake. I was skiing those ski trails in the distance with my daughter just two weeks ago

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Love it!! I’ll be right there taking a spin on the lake as soon as I can. We are still waiting for the ice to go out at our lake house after the snowiest winter since they started recording those stats in 1872. And yes, it’s still light out at 8:30pm here at 46.5º north latitude.

Wow, around here "Ice Out" means the ice bucket at the bar is full.

MnLakeBum wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 8:31 pm

CobaltDeadHead wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:59 pm Couldn't resist. Just a quick spin as it was bitter on the lake. I was skiing those ski trails in the distance with my daughter just two weeks ago

IMG_20230422_142713.jpgFB_IMG_1682187915445.jpgIMG_20230422_125553311.jpg

Love it!! I’ll be right there taking a spin on the lake as soon as I can. We are still waiting for the ice to go out at our lake house after the snowiest winter since they started recording those stats in 1872. And yes, it’s still light out at 8:30pm here at 46.5º north latitude.

That actually makes me kinda jealous. First love is downhill skiing. I get out 40-50 times a winter. Our winter was nearly snowless and the warmest on record through early February. Lake Winnipesaukee may not have frozen over at all for only the second time ever if not for one really cold week early February. Then it snowed a bunch and the skiing was great through mid April.

We haven't had a whopper winter in a good five years. We are due.

Hope your season gets going soon!

And while we do have an ice free lake now, reminders of winter are still off in the distance