The Edge of the Ice

The cold keeps on keeping on in these parts. A few reports, below.

• As of Sunday, it was our 16th day in February of -20C or lower. The average is closer to 4 days.
• Tue at 6 am. -24C. SSE 10km/h. W/c -32. Turning windy (S 20-40), cloudy w/ 30% chance of a flurry. High -10. Snow starts 8pm. 2-3cm. Low -12.
• We just set a record for cold in Ottawa. The previous record was -20.9C in 1989. 

However, Sunday went up to a balmy -4C, so with cabin fever running wild, I went out to snap a few. I headed to the park to get some photos of the ice, specifically the edge of it. Past the bridge, the river is a lake, so it freezes over very well: so well that all sorts of vehicles can be driven onto it for ice fishing.

But as it narrows and increases in velocity, there comes a point where it no longer freezes over. This point seems to me to extend a little further this year than most but probably not too much. You can see the edge in the first three photos.

However, there is more floe ice further downstream this year. In this photo, you can see a semi continuous cover about midway into the picture and also a pretty wide extent of ice extending from the bank in the foreground.

Here's a shot directly across the river where the amount of open water is quite narrow.

Shortly after this there are rapids and falls, and the ice disappears. Here, I repost several recent photos to show how different the river becomes in the heart of the town.

Beyond this there will be alternate ice and open water depending as the velocity slows or increases. I should go out and take some more pictures, but on my earlier walk I discovered that it was darn nippy out, so I will refrain.