I couple of days ago I flew over North Dakota. Looking out the window, I saw the Missouri River, and it appeared completely frozen.
Was my observation correct? Is that a common occurrence around this time of the year?
According to this article, it is supposed to be frozen over within the next week.
As for whether it is unusual to freeze over at this time of the year, I’d say it is a bit late, considering how warm it has been so far this month, although it has gotten colder in the past few days, plus low river levels makes it easier for the water to cool down (also note the average temperature in North Dakota, around 20 for much of the state).
That’s not frozen, this is frozen: Frozen River from the Plane | Call Me Isaac Leon | Flickr
I grew up in north central South Dakota on the Missouri river. It doesn’t freeze solid but will freeze enough to drive on. I don’t recall how thick the ice on the river will get but we would chop holes in the ice on livestock dams that would be 6 inches plus.
Highs of 0 degrees and lows of -20 are common. To me it isn’t officially cold until the snot freezes in your nose. In the western Dakota’s there aren’t many trees to stop the wind and it can be downright deadly. One Christmas break, I recall -100 degree windchills (old windchill scale). I don’t remember what the actual temperature was that terrible week. We had lots of trouble keeping the cattle fed & watered.
The Missouri has frozen over at St. Charles Missouri within the last ten years or so. Perhaps it was technicaly more a case of piled up ice floes, but folks were able to walk across from St. Louis County to St. Charles county.
Not smooth enough to drive on though.
The river itself usually freezes up in late November or early December, but the open water of Lake Sakakawea, which I think is what’s in that picture, usually doesn’t freeze completely across until late-December. Googling, it looks like the Corp of Engineers hasn’t called it officially frozen over yet, but it’s close.
Very interesting. Thanks.