The earliest “ice out” ever at Lake Winnipesaukee was declared Sunday, March 17, marking the unofficial start to spring in the region and setting yet another record in New Hampshire’s warmest winter.
“Ice out” is when the lake is ice-free enough for the MS Mount Washington steamship to navigate to all five of its ports. The previous record was set on March 18, 2016, one day later than this year’s date. Historically, Winnipesaukee has thawed in mid- to late April.
Pilots at Emerson Aviation in Gilford make the “ice out” calls based on their aerial observations of the lake. Matthew Gianunzio, a pilot and flight instructor at Emerson Aviation, made the declaration on Sunday, after noticing how recent wind and rain had been making the ice thinner and thinner.
“I went up and there was not really any ice in any of the ports, so I called it,” he said.
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This year’s winter was marked by a strong El Niño, a recurring climate phenomenon characterized by warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can bring better chances for warmer temperatures in the northern United States.
But as humans continue to burn fossil fuels and heat up the atmosphere, winters in New Hampshire are also getting warmer over time.
Dave Emerson, the owner of Emerson Aviation, usually makes the calls and has been doing so since 1979, but he was traveling this year.
“Usually I take my vacations now, and then ‘ice out’ is when I get home,” he said. “But not this year.
Emerson said he has seen winter weather become more varied over his decades observing the lake. Earlier this year, he predicted that the lake would not completely freeze over, what is referred to as “ice in.” Emerson did end up calling “ice in” on Feb. 9, but he said the ice started melting just 24 hours later, something he said he had never seen before.
Emerson said ice in used to typically fall around the third week in January and ice out around the third week in April but said these dates seem to be shifting closer together.
“It seems like it's been taking longer for the ice to freeze, and as this year proved to be earlier going out,” he said.
Both Emerson and Gianunzio noted mixed reactions to this year’s mild winter. Emerson said certain beloved activities on the lake were affected by the thin ice conditions, like pond hockey and ice fishing.
“But everyone's looking forward to spring now, and they're itching to get the boats in,” he said.
