Lamplighter alerts boaters to lower-water levels
In the wake of March weather as gentle as the proverbial lamb, the year 2010 has also delivered Rainy Lake’s earliest ice-out date in recorded history — April 10.
Pilot Rick Bolstad told The Journal Monday morning that based on the changing conditions he was witnessing from the sky on several flyovers, he knew the final remnant of Rainy Lake’s icy crust was destined to be gone late Saturday.
“By Saturday afternoon, about a quarter-mile ice sheet blocking the entrance in front of the Brule was piling up,” Bolstad said. That last portion of ice at the west end of the Brule Narrows was also reported Friday by Voyageurs National Park officials, after a flyover by VNP pilot Scott Taylor.
But the breakup sighted by Bolstad prompted his prediction that before the day was over, a boat would be able to make the journey from Island View to Kettle Falls unimpeded by ice — the official measure for Rainy Lake ice out.
Bolstad said Saturday’s extreme winds hampered flying conditions into the evening. But a Sunday-morning flyover found freely flowing waters with the ice long gone, he said.
VNP Chief Ranger Jim Hummel reported that a flight on April 4 revealed that the ice had gone out that day on Lake Kabetogama — also the earliest date on record.
U.S. Coast Guard lamplighter Tyson Whitbeck worked the local waters over the weekend, and reports that all U.S.C.G. navigational aids have been placed on station on Rainy Lake.
Whitbeck began placing Rainy Lake buoys Saturday off his boat “The Lamplighter,” and said that heavy winds delayed the work process.
“At midmorning, approximately one mile of ice impeded boat traffic between Harbor Island and Brule Narrows,” Whitbeck said he observed from his boat. While in the area, the lamplighter caught sight of Bolstad flying overhead, prompting a telephone conversation while each was in view of the other. Whitbeck went on to place which buoys he could in areas unthreatened by ice.
He completed the work on Sunday with the last buoy placed at 8:30 p.m. While on the job that day, a boater informed Whitbeck that at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, the ice between Harbor Island and Brule Narrows no longer existed.
Based on conditions he experienced while placing the navigational aids, Whitbeck advises boaters to use caution when traveling Rainy Lake.
“Because of an early ice out, the lake elevation is at a lower point than the ice outs we are accustomed to from past seasons,” he said. “Due to water elevations, caution should be used in shallow channels such as Canoe Channel and areas of Brule Narrows.”
Prior to this year, the earliest recorded Rainy Lake ice outs were in 1998 on April 13; and in 2006 on April 16.
As for 2010 ice-out predictions, the Falls High School Sophomore Student Council came closest to the actual date when they gave The Journal their guess of April 15. Members of the 10th grade student council are Aleena Wilson, Alyssa Bergstrom, Ashley Belanger and Malinda Porter.
Ice-out chart
RAINY LAKE
1930 May 3
1931 May 5
1932 May 7
1933 May 6
1934 May 6
1935 May 8
1936 May 13
1937 May 7
1938 May 3
1939 May 5
1940 May 10
1941 April 25
1942 April 25
1943 May 4
1944 May 11
1945 April 23
1946 April 22
1947 May 11
1948 May 6
1949 April 28
1950 May 22
1951 May 9
1952 May 4
1953 May 4
1954 May 14
1955 April 23
1956 May 11
1957 May 7
1958 April 22
1959 May 6
1960 May 16
1961 May 8
1962 May 7
1963 April 30
1964 May 6
1965 May 7
1966 May 15
1967 May 5
1968 May 6
1969 April 28
1970 May 9
1971 May 2
1972 May 16
1973 April 23
1974 May 11
1975 May 10
1976 April 18
1977 May 3
1978 May 10
1979 May 12
1980 May 2
1981 April 29
1982 May 7
1983 May 1
1984 April 28
1985 April 30
1986 April 23
1987 April 18
1988 May 6
1989 May 6
1990 April 29
1991 April 27
1992 May 7
1993 April 30
1994 May 8
1995 May 2
1996 May 18
1997 May 5
1998 April 13
1999 May 1
2000 April 22
2001 May 1
2002 May 4
2003 May 5
2004 May 1
2005 April 23
2006 April 16
2007 May 4
2008 May 14
2009 April 29
2010 * April 10
KABETOGAMA LAKE
1952 April 28
1953 April 30
1954 May 4
1955 April 20
1956 May 9
1957 May 2
1958 April 17
1959 April 30
1960 May 10
1961 May 6
1962 May 4
1963 April 28
1964 May 3
1965 May 5
1966 May 14
1967 April 25
1968 April 29
1969 April 25
1970 May 6
1971 April 30
1972 May 12
1973 April 21
1974 May 9
1975 May 8
1976 April 18
1977 May 1
1978 May 5
1979 May 10
1980 April 28
1981 April 18
1982 May 5
1983 April 26
1984 April 24
1985 April 28
1986 April 18
1987 April 17
1988 May 2
1989 May 6
1990 April 26
1991 April 25
1992 May 5
1993 April 29
1994 April 25
1995 April 27
1996 May 18
1997 April 29
1998 April 13
1999 April 30
2000 April 20
2001 May 1
2002 April 30
2003 May 1
2004 April 28
2005 April 20
2006 April 16
2007 April 30
2008 May 9
2009 April 29
2010 * April 4
*Earliest ice-out dates for the lakes.
