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Ice clears Lake Winnipesaukee early, breaking record

E-mail|Link|Comments () March 25, 2010 06:05 PM

Mark Wilson/Globe Staff

Since Ice Out has been declared, the M/S Mount Washington, shown during a summer day, will be able to cruise the lake again, beginning May 9.

By Stefanie Geisler, Globe Staff

For 122 years, people have watched Lake Winnipesaukee to see when the ice clears and "Ice Out" can be declared, marking the coming of spring.

This year, the day came so early it broke a record.

Ice Out was declared Wednesday, beating the previous record, March 28, set in 1921, by four days.

David Emerson, the official ice watcher, made the declaration at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The announcement means the largest ship on the 70-square-mile lake can now safely make all ports of call, unimpeded by ice, he said.

"It is a big deal," Emerson said today of making the declaration. "But when it's out, it's out. You have to call it like you see it."

Although there are still a few patches of ice on the lake, they are mostly in coves and will not block travel, Emerson said. That means the M/S Mount Washington cruise ship -- which sails between the ports of Meredith, Center Harbor, Alton Bay, Wolfeboro, and Weirs Beach -- can now traverse the lake.

Ice Out is a tradition dating back to 1888.

The average Ice Out occurs in mid-April, Emerson said.

But temperatures for January and February in the area have averaged three to five degrees warmer than normal, said George Wiseman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grey, Maine. So far this month, the temperature in Concord has averaged 39.4 degrees, or about 7.4 degrees warmer than normal. And the high temperature has been above freezing every day this month, according to weather service records.

Emerson said the lake didn't get a lot of snow this winter, and last week's unusually warm temperatures – the temperature rose into the 60s and one day to 70 -- and buckets of rain deteriorated the ice.

"Then we had the big winds there yesterday," he said. "That finished it off."

A cruise ship named Mount Washington has been navigating Lake Winnipesaukee since 1872, said Jim Morash, current captain. In addition to being the largest ship regularly on the lake, it also covers all parts of the Winnipesaukee.

Emerson, of Emerson Aviation in Gilford, N.H., has been keeping track of the ice since 1981.

"One of the reasons why we were picked is that we're up in the air on a daily basis," Emerson said. "We can keep an eye on the ice and get pretty close to when it actually does go out."

Trips start when the ice begins to darken, which signals it may recede soon.

Although the Ice Out has been declared, the M/S Mount Washington won't make its first public trip until May 9, Morash said. But he and Emerson agreed that area residents may be able to say goodbye to winter a little earlier this year.

"It's a rite of spring," Emerson said. "It's something that a lot of people look forward to."