The ice is out on Lake Iroquois. Ice-out was officially called on Thursday, March 7. This is the earliest ice-out date we have recorded for the lake. Other inland lakes are also experiencing early ice-out this year. Lake St. Catherine (Poultney) also called ice-out on March 7. Lake Willoughby still has a little bit of ice in the coves but as of March 7, it was also mostly open water. Wondering if the winters really are getting warmer and ice is going out earlier? It’s not your imagination. According to the Vermont Climate Office: “The intensity of extreme winter cold is already decreasing with Vermont’s freeze-free period lengthening by three weeks since 1960. On average, lakes and ponds are thawing one to three days earlier per decade.” (https://climatechange.vermont.gov/vermont-today)
To see how ice-out is trending on Lake Iroquois, check out our Ice-Out page.