No
yes
December 1983
2012
1930
Lake Pend Oreille will freeze along the shallow shores in winter. However, the lakes depth and size prevent the surface from freezing over completely.
No, Lake Tahoe has never completely frozen over. It is to large a body of water (about 40 trillion gallons) for the core temperature to get low enough to freeze. On occasion, Emerald Bay will freeze over which is attached by a narrow, shallow opening.
Yes, Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park can freeze over during the winter months, typically from late December to early March, depending on weather conditions. However, the extent and duration of the freeze can vary each year based on temperature fluctuations and snowfall. The lake's unique features, such as its depth and inflow of warmer water from springs, may also affect freezing patterns.
The freeze helped to kill off a harmful algae bloom in Lake Windsor Downs, which was causing water contamination and environmental degradation. This natural event allowed the lake to begin to recover and improve its overall ecological health over time.
1979 was the last year that Lake Michigan froze over. Usually, ice only covers about 50% of the lake during the peak time in February. Actually, the lake did not completely freeze over in 1979 but it came pretty close. Also pretty close in 1977 and 1994 http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/brochures/ice/icecover.html
A lake won't start to freeze until the water from the surface to the bottom reaches 40F. It can be noted by simple observation that this happens first around the shoreline. Once the whole lake reaches 40F, the surface will continue to get colder. When the surface of the water drops to 32F, it starts freezing.
There is evidence of a great lake covering much of south-western Idaho millions of years ago. It is called ancient Lake Idaho and it extended from Weiser to Twin Falls, over 200 miles. It is believed to have drained suddenly 2-4 million years ago and created Hells Canyon in the process. I used to think it covered even more of southern Idaho but it seems to have been mainly to the west.
If ice sank in a lake, the water would freeze from the bottom up, potentially trapping organisms between the ice and the bottom of the lake. This would disrupt their habitat, reduce available oxygen, and could lead to a decrease in biodiversity as some organisms may not survive.