Severn Ice Conditions

[J.A. Veil]

I drove around to look at several Severn spots this morning. Much of the tributaries (Weems Creek, Manresa Cove) are ice-covered. The launch area at the Tucker St ramp is ice covered -- nearly 1/2" thick at the shoreline.

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Manresa Cove

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The northern shoreline of each water body receives more sun and has a bit more open water. But pickerel fishing is pretty much out of the question because the depths at which the pickerel are hanging out are ice-covered.

Jonas Green was fully open water with some snow on the beach.

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[chex]

It's almost ice fishing time. You should be able to power through thin ice with your propel, john.

[HJS]

John - Do you think the Severn will freeze over from side to side all the way out to Annapolis by Wednesday? I'd think its been many years since that last happened.

[J.A. Veil]

Howard -

I just rode across the Severn from east to west on my way home from church. The main river remains fully open. The tributaries that I could see from the bridge had less ice today than yesterday. My last time on the water was Dec 31. The water temp was near 40 deg. For the entire river surface to freeze, we need sustained cold temps well below freezing and no days with strong winds. We are expecting very cold temps on Tues and maybe Wed, but yesterday, today, and Monday the air temp will be above freezing. It should return to above freezing after the cold air moves in and out this week. I certainly don't know what temps will be going forward into January and February. But for this week, I do not expect any freezing in the main river.

I do recall seeing most of the Severn River frozen across a few years ago. I had a great view of the river from a flight returning to BWI. I also ice fished in a Magothy tributary a few years ago during a prolonged cold spell.

[imagine29028]

def heard stories of driving cars across the main part of a frozen Severn River in the 60's/70's

[Fishinfool]

I hope it freezes, at least in the creeks. I'd love to try some ice fishing with live minnows again, it's been such a long time.

The one winter in my lifetime that was likely the coldest was the winter of '76 & '77. Here's a recap of that deep freeze winter in the Baltimore Sun from an article in 2008.
There were pretty severe economic consequences, something I didn't really think about too much then:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-mptf...,7142898.story

[HJS]

The one winter in my lifetime that was likely the coldest was the winter of '76 & '77. Here's a recap of that deep freeze winter in the Baltimore Sun from an article in 2008.

I remember that winter. October of 1976 my wife and I had just bought an old farm house in the Catoctin Mountains of Frederick County. We still live in this house. During the winter of 1976-77 the 120 yard buried water line from the spring to the house froze. It stayed frozen for over a month. But we were tough, back-to-nature hippy-dippy homesteaders back then...we managed. Come spring we got a backhoe in to bury a new water line a foot deeper. The backhoe guy said that during this extremely cold winter that the ground was frozen down nearly 4' in some unprotected areas. A decade or more later we had a reading at the house of -12F. That broke our old record at the house by 8F!!! We haven't come close to that low since.

[kayak456]

I tried to go pickerel fishing today but all was ice covered,bummer

[surfdog]

The last time I saw the bay completely covered in thick ice from shore to shore was in the mid 90s. Huge sheets piling up on the BB and the coast guard had to bring the ice breaker in to open up the channel and harbor so tankers could get to port.

[J.A. Veil]

Here is a remarkable photo someone posted on another site. It is from the 1976-1977 winter.

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[Nitefly]

Thanks for the report John.

[HJS]

Here is a remarkable photo someone posted on another site. It is from the 1976-1977 winter.

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Considering the mild winters we have been having as of recent, its hard to believe the Bay has ever frozen over to the extent shown in the picture.

[Mark]

I very well remember that freeze.

I also recall that the King Tut exhibit had arrived at the Smithsonian the previous November and lines to see it were still long even throughout the winter. I stood in one of those lines in the bitter cold and got a nasty flu shortly thereafter.

Fortunately the freeze in store for us shortly is not going to linger and there will be no hiking on the Bay like there was then.

[Memory Maker]

I remember seeing the ocean frozen at Ocean City 1 year. It was frozen about 50 - 100 yds out I think. Was there on business ........ I think that was in the 80's though.

[J.A. Veil]

I drove around to look at a few Severn spots this afternoon with the idea of kayak fishing tomorrow. That is highly unlikely. All three sheltered coves/creeks were >90% ice covered. With the increasing temps through the weekend, there may some opportunities Sat or Sun.