April 28, 2016 - Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg

Despite a relatively warm spring, a covering of ice clung to Lake Winnipeg (east) and Lake Winnipegosis (west) in late April 2016. Both lakes are located in Manitoba, Canada.

By March 9, the Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship urged fishermen who had put an ice shack on any lake or river in southern Manitoba to remove it as soon as possible due to faster-than-normal spring ice melt. Ice shacks, which are used for ice fishing and require solid ice for safe use, are normally removed from southern Manitoba lakes by March 31.

Frigid air returned to Manitoba at the start of April. According to Accuweather, a winter storm hit Manitoba, bringing substantial snow and high temperatures of about 2˚C (25.6˚F) to the region on April 1. The lingering April chill appears to have slowed ice-out at the major lakes, although predictions are to have ice-free fishing conditions on schedule in early May.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on April 21, 2016.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/21/2016
Resolutions: 1km (138.4 KB), 500m (356.5 KB), 250m (1.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC