Lake Erie has over sixty per cent ice coverage still.

The ice boom in Buffalo/Fort Erie will not be removed till the later part of the month of April.

In my opinion this might change if this warm weather continues.

At 10:44 Tuesday March 27, 2007 in Buffalo, New York the temperature is 52 degrees F.


The image below is Lake Erie on Tuesday 27 March, 2007 from the weather space ship. The image is partially blocked by clouds but clearly shows eastern Lake Erie ice jammed still. If you want to surf Lake Erie at this moment you have to head to the west end where it's shallowest and freezes and thaws out first. Leamington looks open for surfing. There is a pocket of possible opening way-far west of Port Colborne.

Dukes Point in Port Maitland works on gale force SW and is an amazing longboard point break when it fires. I can't tell if on this image if there is open water there because of cloud cover. I think it's still unsurfable. In my opinion its open past Long Point with some big ice fields floating miles offshore. There might be enough fetch for riding.

Another oddity to look at in the satellite image here is at the mouth of the Niagara River in Wilson, N. Y. and Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. Look at the green sediment color on the image coming out of the lower Niagara River into Lake Ontario. I wonder what is in that green colored water? I see that color from some other rivers flowing into Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario. You don't suppose it's boat and car anti freeze and salty water getting flushed out? I don't know what it is. Those old winter cars that are still on the road here in the states pollute the lakes with all their constantly leaking fluids. Hey it leaks onto the street below their vehicles and when the snow melts and the rains come it all goes down the storm drain straight into our drinking and recreational water.

It was Rachal Carson's book "Silent Spring" that spot lighted the way man's technological capabilities always seam to over reach his wisdom. The toxic problem is just as bad today as it was when she wrote her book. Carson died of breast cancer. This topic should be on the environmental page but seeing these green images flowing into Lake Erie lit some fires in me as a surfer who would rather surf in clean water, bathe in sweet waters, and drink pure fresh water. I wonder if our U.S. and Canadian governments look at these images and test the water in these rivers and creeks mouths flowing into the Great Lakes in the Spring and measure how much toxic chemicals, fertilizer, salt, anti freeze, oils, solvants, are in these waters?

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Being the eternal optimist - I'm seeing more water than ice under that cloud cover.

Cheers mate - to a glass that's half full of water - hold the ice!

Could it be all the green beer leftover from St. Patrick's Day that goes unused, and gets dumped into the lakes? Inquiring minds wanna know!
Ryan

It might be the light being defused as it travels down through the atmosphere that makes that water at those stream and river mouths look a hue of lime.

My feeling tends me to believe that it is in fact run off. As I stated earlier the water in the green area most likely carries higher concentrations of pollution.

Lest I forget to mention that after the rain earlier this week the lakes have to filter out all the partial treated sewage that was released into the broth of toxins, and salt residue like soup.

Somebody besides myself has to be studying these images and wondering if these places perhaps should be studied after Spring melt.

It's not green beer or ham.

Yeah that would be interesting to find out what it is..........
Could it be from the currents, whipping up and carrying sediments in and around the shoreline. Let me know when you find out......kind of curious and alarmed that it could be pollutants (which we all know are in the lakes......but to be that visible and flat out in front of our faces like that!) Yikes.
Ryan

the ice dunes are like one big frozen sand bar aboout 5-10 feet high. i'm sure the melt is causing some serious sedimentation in the water. those sands haven't shifted for two months.

ps- ryan, im daytrippin to jersey sometime this week. yeah easter break! how does a cat get ahold of you?

billy

Email: ryangwhite@juno.com
cell: 908-433-9144

Most likely I will be around. There are a series of southern hemi(s) hitting southern California this upcoming week (starting on Sunday), but I think the onshore winds (SW) forecasted may be a negative factor. Not expecting anything major next week (here in NJ). But hey, if I'm around, which is more than likely, I'd be happy to surf anything rideable.

I just emailed the surf forecaster of wetsand.com to get his input on the wind factor out there. I have a few friends in southern Californina that I could crash with, and a $100 rountrip ticket standby won't put too much of a dent in the wallet, but the boardfees might.

Like birds flying south for the winter, I think surfers (atleast I do) have an internal chemical alarm that naturally, or learned, goes off in their head telling them "it's time to head south young man", young or old!

This is one of those times where I will drive my wife nuts with speculation. "Ah, honey, since we're not going away to Myrtle Beach for family circumstances, and since you said I could still do something.......well there's a chance, assuming seat availability (sister works for Continental Airlines) and wind conditions, that I might fly to souther California for a few days.....................????????

Response from wife: "What about a daytrip somewhere that we talked about?"

DAUP!

Obligated respone: "Oh sure, maybe we can go to Cape May, or Amish County PA, or something.

Desired response: "F#*t it, there's a nice southern hemi coming to a locale within a 6-hour flight reach, and I'm on it!"

Most likely the obligated response will win out, but if I explain it right, assuming the wind and seat availablility pan out, then there's a chance!!!!!

http://www.wetsand.com/swellwatch/report.asp?locationid=2&tabid=1441&subtabid=0&catid=295&subcatid=295&SPLTabID=350

Ryan

thanks, i hope to run into you. things are starting to fire around here (cleveland-west) but i have the time, and no reason not to, so, gotta hit the coast. any wetsuit recommendations? 4/3 or 6/5/4?
Billy

billy

With Air Temps in the 50s to around 60, a good 4/3 should suit you fine. However if you want a long 3+ hour session, bring the 654. Good booties (5mills) and gloves are still the key with the cool water temps (still low 40s or so). Looks like Monday afternoon we should see some waist + windswell, but check surfline, wetsand.com, dukestorm.com, magicseaweed.com, etc....for more up to date info.

Ryan