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November 27th through December 3rd, 2023

We had plenty of cold last week. Tuesday morning's 3°F low was especially noteworthy. Given this, it's surprising that the lake is as open as it is. Tuesday's morning low did produce some ice on the north end, but a little sun and waves dispatched all that ice by sunset. The north end's turkeys are back! Following the raid on the bar's bird feed, they strut back into the woods. After going just a few feet into the forest, they become really hard to spot. The several small snow events we've had so far are adding up. The ground is pretty much covered under the all the leafless trees. The snow covered ground reflecting the moon's light made for some pretty bright nights. Many posted pictures on the Facebook. No one skied on the flat, well lit, but somewhat cool, water. Closer to the weekend, a cold morning brought some big sheets of ice to Lucerne. Much of the south end of the lake was covered with a thin, wave dampening layer of frozen water. By evening, the waves and sun overcame the ice and Lucerne was ready for skiing again. With the wind dying down at sunset and the temperature dropping, we were ready for a weekend ice-in. On the weekend, we still had snow in the woods, but not so much ice on the north end of the lake. On Saturday morning, a thin layer of ice seemed to be covering much of the island end of Lucerne. Looking over the hill to the east, Wabikon, Riley, and Devils lake have all enjoyed their ice-in. Looking to the west, it looks like Lake Metonga has quite a bit of ice, too. All the little snow events have left Lake Lucerne Drive covered with an inch or two. In some spots, there is some very smooth ice under that white. Walking without metal spikes attached to boots can lead to unexpected contusions. The snow on Knott Lane is a little deeper, but the icy patches are fewer both in frequency and frictionlessness. The flat evening lake had us expecting a sudden ice in all weekend. All the lake ended up with was some cold detritus clinging to sticks near the shoreline. When it comes to ice-in, Lucerne has always been stubbornly open for longer than seems possible. Over the years we've heard many reasons why this is so including the lake's long north-south fetch, depth, and spring activity. In the end, the only statement you can make with any confidence about Lucerne's ice-in is that it will occur sometime in November or December. There were some reports of an ice fisherman on Wabikon. We assume that this was either a wild exaggeration or a local asylum needs to do a head count. That being said, Lucerne usually gets its ice a week or two after Wabikon, so we are thinking next week. Maybe. At this point, a January ice in would not come as a complete surprise.<br><br><br>-Nemo ain't limping yet, but the day is young.

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