"Ice Shove" Wrecks Minnesota Home; This Is A Weird Thing That Has Happened Before

Strong winds earlier this week pushed a ton of lake ice
into this Minnesota house. 

A perfect combination of wind and spring thawing shoved a bulldozer like wall of ice into at least one lakeshore home in Minnesota this past week.

The 10-foot high wall of ice crunched into the home on Lake Mille Lacs in Isle, Minnesota. Isle is little under 100 miles north of Minneapolis.  

Lake Mille Lacs covers about 207 square miles, and the town of Isle is on the southeast corner of the lake. The ice on the lake was weak from the ongoing spring thaw.

As Minnesota Public Radio reports, a warm, mostly sunny day with northwest winds gusting as high as 50 mph on Monday pushed the wall of ice onto the shore in dramatic fashion.

This one smushed a deck and pushed in a wall of the Minnesota house.

Some people call these things ice tsunamis, because they do rise quite a way out of the water and go inland a fair amount like a slow motion, frozen tsunami.

Of course, ice shoves don't occur on every lake and they don't occur most years. You need the right combination of thawing ice that's ready to break up, a warm day, a strong wind and a shoreline to help steer the ice into big piles.

Other ice shoves have caused far more damage than this.

Lakes in Vermont aren't immune to ice shoves. There was a good one on Maquam Bay in St. Albans, Vermont on Lake Champlain in 2013.

Here's a news video from WCCO of the mishap:



An even worse ice shove hit the shoreline of Lake Mille Lacs in 2013:



Ice shoves can be pretty unpredictable, so you should stay away from them, as footage from this February, 2019 Lake Erie ice shove proves:



These things can move pretty fast, all things considered:

Stormy Days Like Today, Yesterday Show Why You Shouldn't Go Out On Lake

Possible microburst over Lake Champlain west of Burlington Tuesday.
(Click on the photo to make it bigger and easier to see.). Even if
this wasn't a microburst and even though the storm wasn't severe
when it came ashore in Vermont, this illustrates why you
should not be out on the lake when thunderstorms develop. 

Today in Vermont, we once again have several weather threats,   including strong to severe thunderstorms with locally damaging winds, a lot of lightning, and maybe even localized flooding.

Which is a great reason to stay off of places like Lake Champlain today.

That idea was well illustrated to me yesterday when thunderstorms that were (mostly) not as strong as today's expected weather developed.  

Tuesday's storms developed in the Adirodacks and drifted slowly across Lake Champlain into Vermont. As the photo in this post shows, one storm looked like it got ferocious when it was part way across the lake. There was a possible, dangerous microburst out there.

If the microburst occurred, it didn't last long and faded away before the storm came ashore in and around Burlington. Winds gusted to just 32 mph during the storm at the Burlington International Airport, where the National Weather Service is located. I'd estimate gusts along Burlington's lakeshore were about 40 mph. Windy, but manageable.

So the storm wasn't severe on land, and there were no reports of storm damage anywhere in northern New York and Vermont. I only saw a few twigs and small branches down. No biggie.

But the lake was wild, going from calm to having large waves in an incredibly short period of time. I could see big crashing waves slamming into the Burlington breakwater. Lightning strikes hitting the lake couldn't have helped.

It had been a beautiful, sunny day. Then it wasn't. Which means people on boats should always keep their eyes open for developing storms, know what they look like and head to the docks when they see them forming.

The National Weather Servicie in South Burlington did have a special weather statement on yesterday's storm, which said in part: "If you are on or near Lake Champlain, move to safe shelter now! Do not be caught on the water in a thunderstorm."  Note the exclamation point in that statement.

Last week, two kayakers drowned in Malletts Bay around Colchester during a strong thunderstorm.  I don't know if the storm was directly related, but before the storm it was sunny and hot and calm, and then, suddenly, it wasn't. Were these victims caught unaware as the storm bore down on them?

STORM THREATS TODAY

Areas in yellow have a slight risk of severe storms today.
Darker green is marginal risk. 

Today is going to be a more hazardous day than yesterday, as I've already mentioned. As the NWS in South Burlington, Vermont explains it, the heating of the sun getting through the mostly cloudy skies this morning will be enough to get the air destabilized.  

Wind shear - which is wind shifting and/or changing speeds with height - will be increasing during the peak heating hours. That'll help to develop thunderstorms and organize them.

This organization, in turn could create bands of strong to severe storms. These potentially severe storms are most likely south of Route 2, the NWS says, but could happen anywhere in Vermont.  

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has the southern two thirds of Vermont in a slight risk zone of severe storms, meaning they expect scattered severe storms, with one or two perhaps becoming intense. Far northern areas are in a marginal risk zone.

The main risk from these storms would be damaging wind gusts, some hail, cloud to ground lightning and heavy downpours. Due to the wind shear above, there is a very, VERY tiny, but still not zero chance of a brief spin up tornado. But don't count on that.

The timing of the worst storms looks like it will be somewhere between mid-afternoon and early evening.

Note that as always only some areas will see damaging thunderstorms. It'll be hit and miss. A classic example was last week, when a severe storm caused widespread damage in places like Swanton, Highgate and Sheldon, while places just a couple miles south suffered absolutely no harm.

Areas north of Route 2 are slightly less at risk of severe storms, but have another problem.  The center of a weak area of low pressure will pass over or near northern New York and far northern Vermont.

Thicker cloud cover there will help tamp down on severe thunderstorms a bit, but this little low pressure area, working with humid air will tend to focus downpours in this region. Although it has been fairly dry in recent weeks, intense downpours can still cause local flooding, such as small streams going nuts, urban street flooding, washouts on steep hills, damaged culverts, that sort of thing.

The National Weather Service's Excessive Rainfall Outlook puts northern zones of Vermont and New York in a slight risk zone for flash flooding.

It'll be somewhat calmer tomorrow as a cold front starts to come through, but there will be scattered showers and thunderstorms around. It's still looking cool for the weekend.

Summer (Unofficially) Here! Don't Go In The Water - Yet

Lake Champlain in the summer of 2016. People who want to  re-create
this nice scene over the Memorial Day weekend should remember
the lake is still very cold. Be safe! 

When I got up this Saturday morning and looked up the National Weather Service website like I always do first thing, I noted most of northern New England, including all of Vermont was covered by a Special Weather Statement.

"What fresh hell is this?," I wondered. Often, a special weather statement from the NWS means they're worried about some impending storm but haven't quite pulled the trigger on watches or warnings yet.

Or it means there's some sort of localized hazard which would mean getting out and driving on the roads will be a nightmare.    

However, today's special weather statement was none of those things. It is, however, a very wise warning to those venturing out to enjoy the first unofficial weekend of summer.  Basically it said that the weekend would be fairly nice, and temperatures would warm up into the 70s.

That means people would be tempted to go to the lake, maybe brave a dip, or even more likely go out for an excursion on their boats.   The special weather statement told us to beware, though:

"The cold water temperatures can quickly cause hypothermia to anyone immersed in the water. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, when the temperatures are below 50 degrees, the chance of immediate incapacitation due to cold shock is extremely high. 

Anyone on small boats, canoes or kayaks should plan accordingly if recreating this weekend, and use extreme caution to avoid the threat. Paddle smart from the start and always wear your life jacket."

Especially on larger lakes, like Champlain, winds will gust to 25 mph at times, increasing the risk of overturning small boats.

Not everybody will heed the warnings: For example, last Sunday, I saw some people swimming in frigid Lake Bomoseen as thunder rumbled in the distance. A double whammy of dangerously cold water and lightning strikes. Lovely.

Another big event this weekend for the Green Mountain State is the Vermont City Marathon and Relay. Conditions will be great for spectators, but maybe a bit much for some of the runners.

Rain tonight will largely have ended by the time the race starts a little after 7 a.m. Sunday. Skies will at least partially clear during the race, so the sun's heat will be a factor. So will the humidity. Dewpoints will be in the upper 50s to low 60s. It won't be oppressive, but runners will feel it.

Temperatures at the start of the race will probably be near 60 degrees and reach the mid-70s by early afternoon. There is a remote chance of a shower or thunderstorm, so there's a slight risk lightning could be a hazard. But that chance is pretty low.

At least this year will be better than 2016, when extreme heat and humidity injured several runners and forced organizers to suspend the marathon just under four hours into it.

You MUST Skip Stones Across A Frozen Pond Or Lake

This dude reacts after, for the first time in his life,
he skipped a stone across a frozen lake.  He's
obviously amazed at the sound. 

As yesterday's weather proved in Vermont, there's usually not much  joy or action or beauty during November in the North Country.  

Typical of this time of year, it was overcast and dark and dreary and quiet and gray. A few snowflakes descended through the chilly air from time to time. The forests, now devoid of leaves, was as gray as the depressing sky.

So you've got to find the cool things. Here's one thing I have done, especially as a kid, that you should go out and do, too.

Ponds and quiet coves in lakes are beginning to freeze this time of year. Please don't walk out on the ice, as it's way too thin to support you. You'll fall through.

Instead, pick up a rock and skip it across the frozen surface. Many of us Vermonters and other northerners have done this, and it's rewarding for the cool sounds it makes. If you have not given yourself the pleasure of doing this, please do it!

If you want a preview, watch this guy's reaction when he tries this for the first time in his life.

Live Science explains why you get sci-fi sounds when you skip a rock out onto a frozen lake:

".......The lake ice acts like a vibrating plate. When the stone hits, the impact launches a bending wave           (also called a flexural wave) in the ice. The bending wave travels at supersonic speed and continuously radiates sound into the air while it zips forward (away from the impact).......Because short waves travel faster than long waves, the higher pitches, or frequencies, hit your ear first."

So, you hear the higher pitch sounds separated from the lower pitches that are combined when the rock hits the ice. You need to be a little distance away from impact. If you drop the rock on the ice next to you, you just get a boring thud. So give the rock a good throw when you try this.

I will surely find a frozen pond soon to do this, as I often do. I'm still a kid at heart.

Here's a video of what you'll hear:

Warm Winter Causing Ice And Lifestyle Changes On And Near Lakes

Thin ice on Lake Superior, like many other northern lakes
in the United States, has created dangers this warm winter

This warm winter in the United States is causing yet another problem for people who are used to winter:

A lack of lake ice. 

The dearth of ice on lakes as big as Lake Superior and as small as New England ponds has been causing plenty of difficulty - and sometimes tragedy.

Here in New England, there have been several deaths due to thin ice on lakes.

Earlier this month, three people died on a single day on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee when snowmobiles plunged through thin lake ice, said the Manchester Union Leader. 

One of those who died was a 62 year old man who was celebrating his birthday by participating in an ice fishing derby on the lake.

Also in February, two men died when their snowmobiles sank through thin ice on Racquette Pond in New York's Adirondacks.

Here in Vermont, two men died earlier in February when their snowmobiles went through thin ice on Lake Champlain near Shoreham.

Ice was thin on lakes all winter because it's been mild from the start. Earlier this month, snow covered the thin ice, possibly leaving the impression the lakes were safer than they were.

The winter warmth intensified to record levels in the Northeast and Great Lakes region in recent days, so presumably people are now more reluctant to go out on the ice now.

An iconic event, the Lake Bomoseen portion of the Great Benson Ice Fishing Derby in southwestern Vermont was canceled this past weekend for only the second time in the derby's 45-year history because of unsafe ice.

On Lake Superior, warm winters like this one are making it harder for some residents who live on the shores or on islands there.

NPR reports that people usually like to drive on the ice between Bayfield, Wisconsin and Madeline Island, where about 250 residents live year round.

It gives them a bit of freedom, being able to drive to the mainland whenever they like. But for the second winter in a row, the Lake Superior ice is too thin to drive on. People have to take the regularly scheduled ferry, which is a pain.

Lake Champlain Shores Could Get Interesting With Ice Breakup, Gusty Winds

In the Champlain Valley on Thursday, southerly winds are expected to gust over 40 mph amid temperatures that by afternoon are likely to flirt with 60 degrees.

Damage along a Canadian lake last spring
when strong winds drove a wall of thawing
ice onshore and into shoreline cabins.  

Much of the lake is still frozen, but the ice is breaking up. Which could make things on south facing shores of Lake Champlain interesting on Thursday.

The wind could push some of the ice on shore, driving heavy blocks of ice onto embankments, lawns, even roads and property.

Those waves of wind driven ice chunks could be enough to cause some property damage, if the wind indeed drives some of the ice onshore.  It could be dramatic as in spots.

I don't think it will be too destructive, certainly not as bad as in the videos, below. This was last spring when 40 mph wind gusts drove ice onshore damaging homes. Pretty scary and awesome:




The same thing happened last spring on a Canadian lake, with even more damage:

Spring Announces It's (Tentative) Arrival With A Lake Ice Attack

For those of us who live in the northern border regions of the United States, it's seeming like true spring will never get here.

In a photo from about five years ago, ice is pushed
ashore from Lake Superior near Duluth, Minn.
Photo by Bob King, Duluth News Tribune  

But it's slowly building in.

Those of us who live here in the North know early spring is not all green grass and sunshine.

It's about mud, moving ice, cold slush, and sometimes a little drama.

Like in this video, shot last week when weakening ice on Lake Superior was pushed onshore by fairly strong winds around Duluth, Minn.

It's pretty damn cool. Watch:

Still Looks Like Winter, But Dangerous, Weakening Lake Ice Says Spring

We're a week into spring now, and around Vermont, temperatures were in the mid-winter single numbers either side of zero this morning.

Ice fishing enthusiasts on Lake Champlain near
Colchester, Vermont in February, 2012.
The ice might have been safe then, but
the warm late March sun is making lake
ice unsafe now.  

There's still plenty of snow on the ground, so it doesn't look at ALL like spring.

But don't let looks fool you. I noticed the Vermont Department of Public Safety and National Weather Service in South Burlington, Vermont put out a notice yesterday warning of increasingly dangerous ice conditions on the lakes.

The lakes and ponds look every bit as solidly frozen as they did a month ago. But looks are deceiving. Even on cold, subfreezing days this time of year, the sun is strong.  The dark grey ice near the bottom of the ice layer, near the water, can collect heat from the sun.

So the ice might be thinning and weakening from the bottom up. What looks like solid ice to us, us we just walked on a week ago, might be too thin to handle us now.

That means it's time to get off the ice in the Great White North. That's whether you're on Minnesota's 1,000 lakes, the deep lakes of the Adirondacks, and the many fishing ponds and lakes across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

In Vermont and New York, Lake Champlain hasn't frozen over to this winter's extent in years. A lot of people have taken advantage of the novelty by walking out there in big groups. Probably not a good idea now, as the ice can break under an entire group, and then who will rescue them?

It's also about time you get your fishing shanties off the lakes, too. Most northern states have a deadline of about now to remove them.  If they fall through, you have to get them out and that could cost TONS of money.

It's going to warm up over the next few days, so ice will keep getting more and more unsafe.  The time to walk on water is over, folks.

Take it as a sign of spring. We take what we can get when spring is off to this slow a start, right?