IceCyclesmodelled ice formation

This estimates whether ice has FORMED. It says nothing about ice QUALITY, bonding, or whether a route should be climbed.

Modelled from weather data. Not an observation of ice, and not advice.

Eben and Laughing Whitefish, MI

The model estimates whether ice has formed. Ice quality and bonding are not observable from weather data and are not modelled. How the model works.

2 routes across 1 area. None has a confirmed position, so they are listed here without a model estimate.

Cold so far

0 freezing degree-days since 1 October

No day has averaged below freezing yet. None of the last 15 seasons had one by this date either.

Each day that averages below 0 °C adds how far below: a day averaging −5 °C adds 5. Warm days are not subtracted, so a thaw that strips ice does not show here. Modelled at the climbs' typical elevation, not measured on them. It is not a prediction: early cold on its own has not predicted when ice arrives in the seasons this project has records for. Every season is measured over the same window, 1–6 October.

Autumn recharge

32 mm since 1 September

Drier than all 15 previous autumns to this date.

2011: 130 mm'112012: 97 mm2013: 95 mm'132014: 102 mm2015: 83 mm'152016: 124 mm2017: 67 mm'172018: 184 mm2019: 150 mm'192020: 120 mm2021: 88 mm'212022: 122 mm2023: 98 mm'232024: 38 mm2025: 73 mm'252026: 32 mm2026median of previous 15: 98 mm

Seep-fed rock needs water in it before cold can do anything, so this is one of the two things a season needs. It is not a prediction: the other is sustained cold, which nothing here forecasts, and autumn rainfall on its own has not predicted when ice arrives in the seasons this project has records for. Every year is measured over the same window, 1 September – 6 October.

Access is yours to check

This site says nothing about whether you may reach or climb these routes. That is decided by whoever manages the land — a park, a forest, a city, a tribe, a private owner — and by permits, seasonal and wildlife closures and local law, all of which change. A route listed here is not a route you are allowed to climb, and a route with no restriction noted here may still be closed. Check with the land manager before you go.

Sign in to tell us something here is wrong. Corrections are attached to an account so we can ask a follow-up question.