Mirror Lake ice-free at earliest point in more than 100 years

PHOTOGRAPHER: The Associated Press

Put away the skates and break out the canoe: The ice is out at Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake earlier than it has been in more than 100 years.

“Ice meisters” officially declared the lake in the picturesque Adirondack village open today, four days earlier than the previous record of March 27, 1946. Since records were kept starting in 1903, the latest the lake was declared open is May 13, 1971.

The ice-out record is also in jeopardy at nearby Lake Placid — the lake itself. Its previous record ice-out date is March 30, 1946; the latest is May 16, 1972.

Ice-out doesn’t mean ice-free. There can still be ice in spots like bays. A lake is “open” if a boat can navigate around it and through its straits.