BREAK-UP DATES

Lake Temagami 1985-2022

 

Recorded by Glen Toogood and others

Glen Toogood has lived on Lake Temagami for 23 years. Each spring he meticulously recorded break-up on the calendar. He dug the old dates out of boxes for us in 2005, and we update it annually. 

In 2009, we started using others, as Toogood moved off the lake.

The dates reflect what he observed from his central lake location. Break-up across the entire lake may have extended another day or two. Clearly, not an exact science. Since the Toogood era we now use multiple observers around the lake and do a whole-lake estimation.

Lake Temagami as one of the deepest lakes is usually the last to go. The North Arm within the lake, particularly between Rabbitnose and Devil's Island, is usually the last section. The best locations to record complete break-up is at Devil's, Narrows or Garden islands. Temagami Bay tends to go earlier than most of the lake.

Has there been a change over the decades? At the end of the 19th century, explorer A.E. Barlow with the Geological Survey of Canada noted that break-up was usually by May 24.

  Year

        Date

  Observation point

Observer  
  1985

May 10

Devil's Island, North Arm Glen Toogood  
  1986

May 1

Devil's Island, North Arm Glen Toogood  
  1987

April 20-21

Devil's Island, North Arm Glen Toogood  
  1988

May 4

Devil's Island, North Arm Glen Toogood  
  1989

May 11

Devil's Island, North Arm Glen Toogood  
  1990

April 30

May 1

Ferguson Bay

Devil's Island, North Arm

Glen Toogood  
  1991

May 3

Devil's Island, North Arm Glen Toogood  
  1992

May 10

Sandy Inlet Glen Toogood  
  1993

May 6

Sandy Inlet Glen Toogood  
  1994

May 8-9

Sandy Inlet Glen Toogood  
  1995

May 2

Temagami Bay (town) Glen Toogood  
  1996

May 12-15

Temagami Bay (town) Glen Toogood  
  1997

May 6

Temagami Bay (town) Glen Toogood  
  1998

Not observed

     
  1999

Not observed

     
  2000

April 27

Garden Island - north side Glen Toogood  
  2001

May 5

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
  2002

May 5

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
  2003

May 5

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
  2004

May 5

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
 

2005

May 1

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
 

2006

April 22

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
  2007

April 27

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
  2008

April 27

Garden Island Glen Toogood  
  2009

May 6

Sealrock Point Harold Keevil  
  2010

April 15

Devil's Island, North Arm
Southern Hub
Jason Pigeau
Bob Farr
 
  2011

 May 9

Devil's Island, North Arm Jason Pigeau  
  2012

 April 11*

North Arm
Southern Hub
Jason Pigeau
Bob Farr
 
  2013

 May 8

North Arm Harold Keevil
Gail Spencer
 
  2014

  May 14

North Arm Harold Keevil
Gail Spencer
 
  2015         May 6** Ogama Island, Hub Bob Farr  
  2016 May 6 North Arm, Hub, Southwest Arm, Northeast Arm, and the air Ron Miller, Penny St. Germain, Jason Pigeau, Bob Farr, Steve Battis, Harold Keevil  
  2017 May 1*** North Arm Owen Bateman, Dave Wilfong  
  2018 May 17 North Arm Harold Keevil, Dave Wilfong, Ron Miller  
  2019 May 181 North Arm Harold Keevil, Bob Farr, Ron Miller, Dave Wilfong  
  2020 May 18 North Arm Harold Keevil, Dave Wilfong  
  2021 Apr 13 North Arm, Hub Ron Miller, Dave Wilfong, Bob Farr  
  2022 May 8 North Arm, Ferguson Bay Harold Keevil, Jackie Hodgins, Paul Tenwesteneind  
 
 

  Freeze-up dates

* Was this a record?

** May 4 was originally reported as ice-out after observations from Devil's Island and a boat run up the North Arm to Sharp Rock. The North Arm is often the last holdout. However, on May 6, Bob Farr found a fading ice flow between Ogama, Moore and Temagami islands. Experience makes this an unusual spot for remnant ice and Farr suspects it may have drifted from Cattle Island, a more likely holdout location. Making the ice-out call is an estimation from local experience and can only be done with absolute confidence by a low flyover or a comprehensive boat run, which we have never had.

*** April 29 was orignally reported as ice-out after observations from Devil's Island and Witch's Point. A boat run up the North Arm to Sharp Rock by Owen Bateman found the last holdout at Horseshoe Island that took two more days to go. Bateman still got to Sharp Rock through the Lower Narrows.

1  We routinely look for any new early record, but this year surprised us with a 34-year late record.

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