How ice forms

[Steveo]

Ok, I'm bored but I was also curious...What effect does no snow have on the ice. I was always under the believe that snow covered ice is more insulated so it doesn't get as thick as no snow. But I read somewhere here that clear ice allows the sunlight through and heats up the water under the ice thus melting it.

I need to know because it has an effect on my Ice Out guess :laugh:

[Slickcraft]

Both may be true: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/ice_out/ice_out_description.htm

However, it may or may not snow soon. There may or may not be a lot of sun in the next six weeks.
As Yogi said "Prediction is very hard, especially about the future".

[SteveA]

Makes me laugh every time :laugh::laugh:

[fatlazyless]

Ice is much sturdier at 10-degree temp than at 30-degree temp. It obviously will crystalize into ice at 32-degrees but seems to have much greater strength, hardness, & elasticity as it cools down from 30 to 10-degrees. It's definately much tougher to chop at ten degrees, requiring a 2-lb mason's hammer to pound on an ice-chopper to break up lake ice around the dock.

Maybe for the same reason, making ski area snow with compressed air and water works a lot better at ten degrees than at 30.