Ice on the edge is limited to the depth of the water at the edge. So it is always thicker towards the middle.
If you're going skating or ice fishing with a group, stay off ice that's less than four inches thick. As a general rule, avoid ice that has cracks or ice near inlets or moving water.
Water under the ice typically stays very cold, but above freezing. Most lakes that form ice at the surface stay at about 4oC most of the winter months. Most lake organisms (e.g., phytoplankton/algae, zooplankton, and most fish) are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature varies with the temperature of the water.
Insert a tape measure into the hole, hook the end onto the edge of the ice, and take the measurement. If your reading is at least four inches, proceed with caution. Ice more than five inches thick will likely hold a snowmobile, and ice more than eight inches thick will likely support a car or small pickup truck.
A 24 hour, 50 degree thaw with winds in the 20-30 mph range can melt a couple inches or more of ice. Holes of several types and sizes are also common after a windy thaw. Heavy rain over 24 hours with only moderate wind will result in about an inch of ice loss. Most of that is from the warm air.
If for example the average temperature is 2 degrees below freezing, then it would require about 4 days to freeze 10 cm of ice, which is about the minimum necessary to safely travel on foot (and do some ice fishing, if it's your cup of tea).
Ice fishing isn't all fun and satellite TVs. It can be dangerous if you don't do it right. If the ice is too thin, you or your vehicle can fall in. Other risks include carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly used heaters and frostbite from exposure to the cold and wind.
Ice is not considered safe to walk on until it is at least 4 inches thick. At 4” the ice is suitable for ice fishing, cross-country skiing and walking and can support about 200 pounds. At 5 inches of new clear ice should be enough to hold a single snowmobile or ATV or about 800 pounds.
First find large expanses of deep basin water, then look for these structural elements close by. Fishing pressure will force walleye off the most obvious spots. Check around the perimeter of groups of anglers, even out over deep water. If you find stair-stepping dropoffs, fish each small "stair" or flat.
If water were most dense as a solid, lakes would freeze from the bottom up, eventually freezing solid. Most lakes and ponds don't completely freeze because the ice (and eventually snow) on the surface acts to insulate the water below. Our winters aren't long or cold enough to completely freeze most local water bodies.
The overnight low is the key. The overnight low is the key. X2, that said the north shore lines will heat up faster during the day due to angle of sun. On a not windy day the warmest times to be on water --water temp wise-should be between 3 & 5 pm especially in shallow water say 3-5 feet with dark black bottom.
When the entire lake reaches 40 F, the surface water cools further, dropping below 40 F. Because this water is now less dense than the surrounding water, it will stay on the top and continue to cool. Once the surface water falls to 32 F, it freezes. The freezing then spreads downward into the lake and the ice thickens.
In most situations, ice made in a standard ice tray — those plastic models with space for a dozen tapered cubes — takes about three to four hours to freeze in your home freezer.
about three to four hours
Typically τ around 5000 secs for 16 oz beer bottle, then in 4 x τ you are near freezing point, a little bit less depending on Tfreezer. In a little freezer the water is near ice point in less than 6 hours, in a big one maybe 2 to 3 hours (forced convection).
freezing degree-days. a measure of how cold it has been and how long it has been cold; the cumulative fdd is usually calculated as a sum of average daily degrees below freezing for a specified time period (10 days, month, season, etc.).
New ice is usually much stronger than old ice. Direct freezing of still water makes stronger ice than that formed by melting snow, refrozen ice, or ice made by water bubbling up through cracks and freezing on the surface. Clear blue/black ice is stronger than milky white ice. Ice near the shore is weakest.
In the indentation tests, however, an average force of 2660 N (or about one-quarter of a ton) was required to break and clear this amount of ice.
Insert a tape measure into the hole, hook the end onto the edge of the ice, and take the measurement. If your reading is at least four inches, proceed with caution. Ice more than five inches thick will likely hold a snowmobile, and ice more than eight inches thick will likely support a car or small pickup truck.
To survive a fall through ice, stay calm and try to avoid gasping for air when your body hits the water. Once your head is above water, grab onto the edge of the ice and use your forearms and elbows to prop yourself up.
Last year, Lake Erie peaked at 95 percent ice coverage on March 2. The least frozen year in recent memory? 5 percent in 1998, 14 percent in 2002 and 2012 and 36 percent in 2017.
Reasonably well thawed black ice (stage 4) has a strength of about 50 psi (1/3 of the 150 psi that represents the average strength of cold ice).
Based on studies, once a thin layer of ice film forms on a lake, it will add 1 inch of ice for every 15 freezing degree days in a 24 hour period.
Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often dangerous. The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. Booming and cracking ice isn't necessarily dangerous. Flocks of waterfowl can also adversely affect the relative safety of ice.
Depending on the thickness of the ice, there may be limitations on what you can do on its surface. 2 inches thick The ice is very susceptible to breakage and is not safe to walk on.
Ice begins to be "safe" at around 4 - 6 inches thickness. Do not even walk on ice 3" or less in thickness.
Ice more than five inches thick will likely hold a snowmobile, and ice more than eight inches thick will likely support a car or small pickup truck.
Ice, solid weighs 0.919 gram per cubic centimeter or 919 kilogram per cubic meter, i.e. density of ice, solid is equal to 919 kg/m³.
