Ice Boom WebCam - any day now

[Chris Red]

http://www.iceboom.nypa.gov/

The ice boom is about to be lifted at the mouth of the Niagara River.

The link is to a webcam on top of the HSBC Tower - the first image points to the actual boom just bast the water intake - the second is the Niagara River which will soon fill up with Ice.

This is one of the earliest dates that the boom has been removed.

 

[osprey jr]

They refresh the images every 5 minutes. Go figure, it's dark now... Maybe you could describe what it looked like in the daylight?

I'm looking forward to the boom being pulled, cause that means, "POOL'S OPEN!!!".

 

[fppf]

If memory serves they pulled it last year in March.
They try to get it out by April 1st depending on ice coverage.

 

[Chris Red]

when I saw it Tuesday the image looked as if the boom was still in place

Now heres an image of the lake from a satelite = always daytime
http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/mo...sub&image=a1.07100.1845.LakeErie.143.250m.jpg

errr I'm a little keen on weather products :sunny

 

[hnladue]

This is the first I've ever heard of this? What's the ice boom for? To keep the ice from going over the falls? Or something with the power plant?

 

[fppf]

Power Plant.
It causes an Ice Jam at the mouth of the river and prevents heavy chunks of ice from going down stream and hitting the water intakes at the power plant.

It is installed when the water temp hits 39 degrees or by Dec 16th and is removed by April 1st unless there is over 250 square miles of ice on the lake.

Here is a link for reading
http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/niagara/ice_glace-info_e.pdf

 

[osprey jr]

When I went over the Grand Island bridge earlier today, it was ice as far as you could see, up river or down. I guess the boom has been pulled successfully. WHOOHOO!

 

[fppf]

Looks like it Jim
Hope I get over this Flu bug by the weekend. Time to go jump some bergs.

 

[Chris Red]

I was drawn to the water today too.

Went to visit the Niagqara Falls Aquarium, took in a little dive with Squirt.

Stopped by the new dive shop there - Niagara Scuba Center on Buffalo Ave (formerly Capt. Bill's) - Nice new shop and people.

The Ice was amazing - one day almost nothing - the next almost full of ice.

 

[fppf]

Chris, are you volunteering there or did you do an encounter?

My wife and I help out and clean the tank every other week.