The Columbia River Treaty resulted in dams that increased both lake depth and flow rate along the West Arm in the winter. The consequence was that days with really cold air were now insufficient to freeze surface\u00a0water in the face of turbulent mixing of warmer water from below. One no longer expects\u00a0to see extensive freezing of the lake surface. So, why did I see it two days ago on Thursday, February 9th<\/sup>?\u00a0<\/p>\n The temperature at the time was not particularly low, being only -3 \u00b0C, however, the air was perfectly still. No breeze meant no waves, and no waves meant no mixing of the surface water and equally, no disruption of the thin ice that was now able to form.<\/p>\n The lack of wind and waves has allowed extensive, but thin, ice to form over the Lake, but even now it has avoided the deeper and more rapid flow in the channel. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My mother told me\u00a0of the winter of 1934-35 when the Lake at Nelson froze and people and vehicles could cross on the ice. Indeed, a number of early reports and photographs tell of sternwheelers battling widespread\u00a0ice on the West … Continue reading
\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/lakeice170209s3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n