The ice is in, but still may be too early for fishing

A week of hard freezing temperatures helped ice formation atop area lakes, but local public safety leaders are cautioning recreation enthusiasts it’s probably still early to get out the region’s frozen waters. 

Since Jan. 6, temperatures in Laconia were well below freezing for the better part of a week, leading to a big jump in ice formation on lakes Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam and Opechee, according to temperature data collected at the Laconia Municipal Airport in Gilford. 

The lowest points over that period came late at night on Jan. 6, and early in the evening on Jan. 8, when temperatures reached 10 degrees and stayed there for several hours. Since Jan. 10, temperatures climbed back into the low-20s to the low- to mid-30s, which is where we find ourselves at the beginning of the week.

Ice-in, called each year by Dave Emerson of Emerson Aviation, was declared Jan. 12. Last year, Emerson declared it Feb. 9, 2024, a few weeks later than usual. Typically, ice-in occurs the third week of January, but the past two years occurred at roughly the same time, later than normal.

Looking forward one week, temperatures are not predicted to be as low as over the previous seven-day period, according to National Weather Service data. At the time of this writing, temperatures in Laconia were slightly above freezing and snowfall was expected. Wednesday, Jan. 15 was anticipated to be the coldest day of the week, with a high of 22 degrees and a low of just 9 degrees. The next week, however, is expected to bring another hard freeze to the Lakes Region, reaching lows near 0 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In order to form enough ice on top of area waterbodies to facilitate recreation, extended periods of cold temperatures are required. It’s not an exact science, but Laconia Deputy Fire Chief Louis Loutrel said Monday the general rule-of-thumb is that 4 inches of hard ice is required to hold a human being participating in activities like ice skating. For more weight-intensive activities, like driving a vehicle or a snowmobile on the ice, much more is required.

“There have been some cold days lately,” Loutrel said, noting more of the same would be necessary to form enough ice for safe recreation. 

The ice on the lakes is still forming and in many areas is still quite thin. It’s not easy to discern between portions of the lake where ice is thick and others where it’s shallow. Because of the clear risks, Loutrel advised citizens to stay on the land if they’re in doubt about the depth of the ice. 

A common method for measuring the ice is archaic but effective: drill down and take note of its depth with a ruler or a tape measure.

With another period of hard freeze, shallow areas should experience more ice formation. So far, the city’s emergency responders haven’t had to rescue anybody stuck in bad situations on the shallow areas of the lakes. 

“We haven’t responded to any within the city yet,” Loutrel said. “I think it’s still a little bit too early.”

In previous years, Laconia firefighters have performed rescue missions to haul citizens who’d broken through the ice in vehicles. More commonly, firefighters have been called to service to provide medical assistance to individuals who’d slipped and fell on the ice. 

“Ice is ice,” Loutrel said. “It’s slippery.”