Cisco Sonar

When will Bear Lake freeze?

By Bryce Nielson

"People are frequently asking about the how and when the lake freezes?  We all know that water need to remain still to freeze on a lake.  It will freeze in the Logan River on the bottom and form what they call “anchor ice” but that is a different story.  On typical years, Bear Lake starts to cool, releasing the heat it stored from the summer, in late November and early December.  The longer and hotter the summer and the lake level are all factors. 

At that time the lake condenses water from liquid to gas and the “Valley” fills up with fog.  It makes for a beautiful view from the Bear Lake Summit with the basin “full of cotton”.  Depending on many factors, primarily weather, this condition remains for a couple of weeks.  During this time, you may see rivers of clouds pouring out of North and South Eden canyons with the cold morning winds or lake effect snow storms in Laketown.  As the surface of the lake approaches 33^o F the fog begins to disappear.         

If we have a high pressure, subzero temperatures and no wind the lake will begin to skim from the shore in early January.  It will start over the shallow water in the north end and proceeded down the west side.  Ice will then freeze off Gus Rich Point and Rendezvous Beach.  As you drive around the lake it will appear that the whole body of water is frozen but since you can only see so far off shore, the east side and the middle deeper water will still be open.  As the cold continues, it all starts to freeze but there will be open water off of the Eden deltas due to the canyon winds, current and depth.  At any time, a storm and wind can break up the lake but the time to refreeze is shortened because of the millions of ice cubes floating around.  For the lake to freeze totally overnight, the best scenario is a heavy snowstorm followed by sub-zero temperatures and dead calm.  This typically occurs in mid January but may be as late as March.  I am only aware of the lake freezing totally in December one time in the past 40 years.  Long term averages indicate that that lake will freeze four out if five years.   Once frozen it usually stays that way until mid-April.  Ice thickness will range up to three feet."

That was written in 2004.  Since that time thing have changed.  Although the specifics are still the same, climate change has resulted in longer, hotter summers and winters with fewer subzero stretches.  Now the total ice cover on the Lake is less frequent and not as thick.  More years of open water prevail.  I have spent the last 44 winters here, my cursory observations are that things in general are warming up.  I am not discussing the complex scientific debates about what and why climate changes are occurring  I will state that the scientific community has no solid answers despite what the media has to say.

and what affect they have on living organisms.

Personally, I like the warmer weather as opposed to the frigid winters I have experienced.  I guess I will just learn to adapt like everything else will have to do.