We’ve had five consecutive days of below-freezing mornings, which means ice has been forming in our ponds and sea ice has started to pancake on our coastal shores, as you see from these images.
The ponds that I’ve seen are is not nearly ready for skating. I suggest that you don’t test them with your body weight even near their edges.
The sea ice, of course, is nowhere near solidifying; its salinity requires higher freezing temperatures for longer periods.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on January 2 and 3, 2024.)