Yes, it will be a long process unless we get the kind of conditions that would also produce a catastrophic flood. Ice will melt from the edges first but remain thick in the middle even when the shores are open. Strong wind will weaken it by flexing it. Wind pulls the ice pack up and lets it go again (peaks and lulls) as evidenced in time lapse movies on the lake. We still don't want a wind-driven iceout, either, because thick ice chunks floating around in a strong wind will do big damage where they drift (reference: April 2007.)
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