Despite warm temperatures, as of Tuesday, Feb. 27, the ice has not been declared out on Clear Lake, according to Adam Theiss, Water Department Superintendent.
“I”m guessing it will be out soon, but as of Monday, there was solid ice attached to the shoreline on South Shore Drive,” said Theiss. “In order to declare ice-out, you have to be able to physically be able to put a boat in at any area of the lake.”
This could be the year that Clear Lake breaks the earliest ice-out date of March 5, 1931.
According to Theiss, South Shore is usually the last area for the ice to go out. Theiss said South Shore is protected and the wind does not get to it like other areas of the lake.
“Wind is what will take the ice-out,” said Theiss. “Everyone has an opinion, but we use the same method of declaring the ice-out every year.”
Last year the ice was declared out on Wednesday, April 5.
The latest ice out date on record is April 29, 1951.
The ice was declared in on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. At that time the lake level was -14.04” below the weir.
