It's
interesting that we're still talking about ice covered lakes here mid
May, isn't it? An article by Startribune's Doug Smith suggests that
"Some of more popular fishing lakes haven't seen an occurrence like this
in perhaps 60 years."
"Ice reportedly is still 2 feet thick on some northern lakes, and though it has deteriorated in many areas, major lakes from Lake Mille Lacs north — including Leech, Upper Red, Cass, Lake of the Woods, Winnibigoshish and Vermilion — still could be mostly ice-covered Saturday.
“There will be substantial ice cover on the northern third of the state,’’ said Henry Drewes, Department of Natural Resources regional fisheries manager in Bemidji. “It will not be gone by Saturday. This is certainly the most significant late-season ice cover I have seen in my 25 years with the DNR.’’
One likely would have to go back to 1950, when late ice-out records were set on many lakes, to see a comparable situation."
Lake Mille Lacs
This is a view of Lake Mille Lacs from Friday courtesy www.mnlakecams.com - note how much ice is still out there! WOW!
Satellite Of Minnesota Lakes
Take a
look at the satellite view over Minnesota from Friday. Anglers that are
hoping to dunk to boat in the water for the fishing opener might have
to head to one of the lakes in the southern half or two-thirds of the
state as most of the northernmost lakes are still frozen. Notice the
white color to Lake Mille Lacs, which is still frozen, while Lake
Minnetonka near the Twin Cities is ice free!
Ice Out at Whipple Lake in Baxter
Thanks
to my good friend Jen Polich for the pictures below out at Whipple Lake
in Baxter, MN. Pretty quick ice out this week. My hunch is that there
will be quite a few more lakes that open up this weekend with as much
wind as we get Saturday!
THURSDAY (Not Ice Out)
FRIDAY (Finally Ice Out!) - The MN DNR website
doesn't have data for Whipple Lake, but area lakes suggest that the
latest ice out was early May. This certainly could be the latest ice out
date on Whipple Lake that we've had in recorded history...
Officially Ice Out
The
Minnesota DNR runs a fantastic website that shows what lakes are
offiically ice out. It also compares this year's ice out vs. the
earliest and latest ice outs in recorded history. It's interesting to
note that there are several lakes this year that have and will set their
latest ice out dates in recorded history.
Drastic Changes Ahead
WOW!
Take a look at the wild ride we'll have over the next several days. From
a windy and colder Saturday (MN Fishing Opener) and frost AM Mother's
Day to highs flirting with 90 by Tuesday! Here's more from the National
Weather Service out of the Twin Cities.
"A
cold front will push through tonight with a period of showers
accompanying it. Much colder temperatures will follow the front for
Saturday as wind gusts approach 40 mph. High pressure building in
Saturday night will lead to areas of frost and temperatures from the mid
20s to lower 30s. However, a large upper level ridge will build over
our region by Tuesday afternoon, bringing a drastic increase in
temperatures. Highs by Tuesday will range from the mid 80s to lower
90s."
Tornado Drought Continues
This
is pretty interesting from Iowa Environmental Mesonet that shows the
number of days since that last tornado warning issued in the selected
National Weather Service county warning area.
Extended Severe Potential
Keep
in mind that May is typically the greatest tornado producing month of
the year; I thought this was interesting. The extended 4 to 8 day severe
weather outlook looks pretty quiet. Other than perhaps a few isolated
strong to severe thunderstorms here and there, it appears that there
won't be any significant severe weather outbreaks coming in the near
future... Stay tuned.
Thanks for checking in, have a great weekend!
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