Over last weekend, the lake froze over. It is still too thin for activity out on it but that may change with more cold weather. It is possible to walk on the ice where you aren’t worried about falling through as in shallow areas where you could wade out of the water with cold wet feet. Some snow fell on the ice and then it melted, yes, there is always something new happening at the lake.
After the ice froze, it was possible to get out and see the other side of some of the ice formations along the shore. Some of these formations were shown in the previous article. They were seen from shore, now, you can see them from the other side. (And yes, the pictures were taken standing on ice that where the water was only about a foot deep.)
On Monday, 3 or 4 inches of light, fluffy snow fell on top of the ice. This meant that there was insulation so the ice wouldn’t thicken as rapidly as if there were no snow cover. The layer of snow was not long lived, however, as a south wind kicked in and took the temperatures up to around 40. The wind was the real factor, however, and places that got the most wind melted first. The main lake became free of snow first while areas that were on south shores, and therefore in the lea, did not experience the strong wind and kept their snow longer. The first picture shows the ice that is clear with a “wedge” of snow on ice that was protected in the bay as well as the ice formations along the shore. The white lines going out into the grey ice are caused by cracks that then allowed water to come up into the snow and form slush.
The next picture shows the area in the lea of Point of Pines that is snow covered and then the grey ice out toward Brummitt Island.
The next day, after the wind had basically blown all night, the entire lake was grey. The melted snow probably made the ice smoother and may, ultimately, be great for the ice boaters. They love smooth ice so they get a comfortable ride.
The forecast is for snow Friday that will then change to rain overnight. There is another chance of snow for Christmas Day.