Another Icy Bay - Alice Bay

I enjoy our periodic short burst of true winter weather. The cold periods in western Washington are short. I will say that while the areas subject to Fraser River outflow winds are a bit rough - 50 mph winds when the temperature in the teens and single digit range is not pleasant. 

The north edge of Skagit delta does get cold due to the proximity of the Fraser Canyon winds coming down across Whatcom County and over Bellingham and Samish Bay. The delta is generally a windy place, but Samish Island deflects the north wind such that the south side of the island is cold but not windy. 

Alice Bay, a bay that is separated from Samish Bay by a low peninsula of salt water marsh was completely frozen over. Alice Bay usually completely empties of water during low tides; hence, the shallow water during high tides freezes.  

Alice Bay with Scott Point on the near left and Blanchard Mountain behind,

snowy Anderson Mountain on center left and Lyman Hill the ridge on the center right. 

Note the odd naming of Lyman Hill. The 'hill' is 800 feet higher than Anderson Mountain and 2,000 feet higher than Blanchard Mountain.

The tide range is on the order of 11 feet and therefore the ice layer has to rise and fall with the tide. The high tides cover the salt marsh during king tides and the shallow water over the marsh froze. 

Tidewater on the salt marsh. Elevated ground on the right is a dike that blocks the tide water from farm fields and a road. 

Island of salt marsh draped with ice.

Dike with sand bags. The tide water overtopped this section of dike last winter during a storm surge (Here).