Ice-out Records

By Susan Trask, July, 2015

What a winter it was! Even many cold weather enthusiasts found themselves yearning for spring after the relentless winter of 2015. It certainly was depressing to still see huge piles of snow along the roadsides and under shady spaces in mid-April! This circumstance led to a lot of speculation among lakeside residents about the date of ice-out. Would the heavy snowfall and bone-chilling temperatures make for a later-than-average ice-out? It did seem that it took an awfully long time to see those welcome signs of impending melting: the dark, spongy-looking patches, the puddles of water along the shoreline from melting snow on the bank. Finally, open spaces began to appear, and, as frequently happens, the ice just seemed to disappear! By the way, even though this phenomenon makes it appear that the ice is sinking, it’s not! (Have you ever seen an ice cube at the bottom of a glass of water?!) So this year that glorious ice-out day was April 21. I was astonished when I compared it to previous years: It was actually 2 days earlier than last year! My guess is that the heavy layer of snow insulated the ice and prevented it from forming as much as it would have otherwise. The ice-out phenomenon is a never-ending source of curiosity and speculation, and it’s always interesting to see the dates over time. Here are the records back to 1969, courtesy of Peg Wallingford, Jan Marston, and yours truly.

1969 Apr 21   1981 Mar 26   1993 Apr 21   2005 Apr 12
1970 Apr 27   1982 Apr 25   1994 Apr 19   2006 Apr 2
1971 May 1   1983 Apr 5   1995 Apr 13   2007 Apr 12
1972 Apr 30   1984 Apr 18   1996 Apr ?   2008 Apr 21
1973 Apr 17   1985 Apr 14   1997 Apr 23   2009 Apr 12
1974 Apr 16   1986 Apr 12   1998 Apr 8   2010 Mar 20
1975 Apr 25   1987 Apr 11   1999 Apr 8   2011 Apr 19
1976 Apr 14   1988 Apr 10   2000 Apr 6   2012 Mar 22
1977 Apr 14   1989 Apr 22   2001 Apr 10   2013 Apr 11
1978 Apr 28   1990 Apr 12   2002 Apr 8   2014 Apr 23
1979 Apr 21   1991 Apr 8   2003 Apr 13   2015 Apr 21
1980 Apr 11   1992 Apr 15   2004 Apr 9      

Average ice-out date in those 47 years: April 14