This year’s unusually mild winter resulted in Lake Winnipeasake having its earliest recorded ice-out on March 18, 2016, beating out the previous records of March 23, 2012 and March 24, 2010. The latest ice out on the big lake occurred in 1888 on May 12. In fact, the NH Lakes Association reported that most of New Hampshire’s 1,000 lakes and ponds experienced their earliest recorded ice-out this year. On March 18, Winona still had plenty of ice. A few unusually warm days did the trick, melting the final “big” chunks and making it possible for a boat to access all the coves.

Ice-Out records in New Hampshire have been kept since 1887 as a way to keep track of when both commercial and passenger transportation lanes became usable in the larger lakes. Over the last ten years or so, the Department of Environmental Services has asked all lakes to begin tracking their ice out dates. Ice out dates for Winona over the last five years:

Year	Date- Ice Out
2012	3/23/2012
2013	4/17/2013
2014	4/22/2014
2015	4/22/2015
2016	3/23/2016