Lake Baikal, Baikal dawns. E-cards
In winter, Baikal is completely covered in ice with the exception of one small area at the source of the river Angara. Icing over begins in October in the northern part of Baikal. At first, ice locks shallow bays and later the rest of the lake gradually progressing from north to south.
A strong wind will prevent ice formation, breaking it up from time to time. These ice fragments, freezing into newly-formed ice, form hummocks. But, by mid-January or early February, winter takes hold, and Baikal turns into an icy dream-world. The last area to give way to the ice is the area of maximum depth, near the Island of Olkhon.
Baikal is shackled in an armour of ice from four to four and a half months a year; in its northern part up to 6 and a half months. This ice-armour can reach a thickness of 2.3 metres.
