Early Spring at Sunapee

Lake ice is changing, with implications for lakes in the Adirondacks and across the globe. Since the record started in 1869, ice-out, or the date when ice no longer covers the lake, has usually been on or after April 10 on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire. An “early spring” depicted in this scarf is when ice-out happened before April 10. White rows represent years when the lake stayed frozen until April 10 or later. Green rows represent years when spring came early, and the lake thawed before April 10.  Data are from 1922 – 2022, with 2 rows representing each year. Data from the Ice-Out Chart at the Sunapee Town Office.

By Anne Connor