Ice-in date will likely be latest ever

Unseasonably warm weather is making the likelihood of a record “ice-in” date for Clear Lake a good bet.

Officials at the Water Treatment Plant say interest has been high from those who take an interest in the lake’s level and ice-in and ice-out dates.  They share that according to city records, the latest date on record for the lake to be declared iced-in is Dec. 24, 2001.

The earliest date on record is Nov. 4, 1991, which many recall as the year of the Halloween blizzard.

According to forecasts compiled by Iowa Weather Network, temperatures will be back in the 40s by the weekend and remain well above freezing through Dec. 25.

In the event our strange winter weather continues into 2016, you may want to keep these dates in mind: the latest “ice-out” date was recorded on April 28, 1951; the earliest “ice-out” was March 5, 1931.