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Spotlight



Ice-Out 2015

The 2015 Ice-out was visually one of the most boring, with a couple of exceptions.

The really interesting ice-out for this winter took place back in the fall, on November 21, 2014.  After a cold night, much of the lake had a thin coat of ice. 

In the morning of November 21, the entire northern bay is frozen (and other protected areas), but stiff winds from the south have it broken up by noon.

In the photo above you can see:

*ice (with sunlight reflecting) in the upper left;

*there is open wavey water out to the right;

*the middle-foreground (darker area) has broken ice swirling;

*near shore (below the trees) there is a layer of compressed ice-cubes up against a snow covered ice sheet pushed and buckled against the shore. 

This out-of-season ice-out situation did considerable damage to the northern shorelines of Deer Lake.

 

And here is Ice-Out, 2015:

March 10:  A few warm days has liquified the surface of the ice, at least 24 inches thick.  Looks like a late skating season could happen, as in 2011.

 

March 14: Skating posibilites dashed by fuzzy ice.

 

March 29: Ice gets patchy on the surface again.

 

April 10:  After a week of cold, the ice begins to seriously deteriorate, pulling away from the northern shore (where the springs keep the ice thin all season).

April 13: Ice darkens further.  Note the cedar tree on Christmas Point has been tipped by an ice pile.

April 15: Kocemba Bay is open, and the ice melts away from the point.  A lenghty crack in the ice, from Christmas Point west toward Mayflower Bay separates the sheet.

 

April 16: Ice recedes further as the winds blow.

April 17: Almost gone.  Ice sheet is blown by northern winds into the south-east corner of Deer Lake.  Some other residual patches can be found here and there.

April 18:  ICEOUT!!