Lake watch begins

With the promise of warm temperatures this week, all eyes are on the lake with hopes that late season snowfall has helped to lift the lake level.  When the lake was called frozen over on Dec. 11, 2012 the level was 

-31.44 inches below the weir.  The low level had forced many boat owners to pull their lifts and vessels from the water early because they simply could not get them into deep enough water at their docks.  This photo, taken along the north shore looking east toward downtown, shows there is still a lot of room for improvement. Last spring the ice was declared out March 16; in 2011, the ice out date was April 4.  At that time the lake was 7.32 inches above the weir.-Reporter photo.