Evening Sky

8:00 am temp: 46
Yesterday: 61/46
Normal: 72/45

A bonus to the storms that move through in June are the lighting effects the clouds can create in the evening. On this recent evening there was also a double rainbow.

Got Snow? Yup

8:00 am temp: 8
Yesterday: 29/8
Normal: 29/15

Plenty of snow out there, and the most ice we’ve seen yet this year on the lake.

We got 8 inches of new, fluffy snow in about an hour on Friday evening. It’s made for great skiing.

Today is going to be sunny, cold, and beautiful. Forecast high of 11 with wind chill of minus 10. We’re headed out for a day of cross country skiing.

Fresh Ice

8:00 am temp: 12
Yesterday: 11/3
Normal: 30/17

Ice has started forming along the edges of the lake.

Looking out toward the street this morning.

The ice grows mostly at night. It started three days ago, and each day it extends farther out into the lake. Already more of the lake is covered with ice than at any point last winter.

It warmed up to 12 at our house yesterday, so Tess and I resumed our mid-day walks. A couple weeks ago that would have seemed cold.

This morning we woke up to 7 or 8 inches of fluffy snow and big flakes coming down.

River Skate

8:00 am temp: 6
Yesterday: 8/-14
Normal: 31/17

Well, I didn’t hibernate yesterday after all. The sun came out and we were lured outside to try skating on the Whitefish River.

There was good, thick ice on the river. Steve chopped a couple holes with his hatchet and at about 4 inches down there was still no sign of water. The surface was pretty good, slightly bumpy, and there was a thin layer of snow on top.

We skated for miles, the only ones on the river, except for…the person who had planted the idea, Don Scharfe, and his wife. I forgot my camera, so above is a video Steve shot.

I enjoyed the changing views and the quiet of cruising down the river. There’s snow in the forecast, which may mean the end of ice skating, but there could be some good skiing on the river ahead this winter.

Time to Hibernate

8:00 am temp: -5
Yesterday: 4/-13
Normal: 31/17

Thin sheets of ice collect along the shore

I came home last night around 11:30. It was -10 at our house. It took a while to warm up my toes. I’m hunkered down at home today.

We saw the first signs of ice forming on the lake yesterday, thin sheets that the wind had pushed up against the shore.

A friend who lives south of town told me she saw what looked like a big cloud yesterday morning, which was the plume of steam coming off the lake. It’s amazing how long it takes, even in this severe cold, for the water temperature in the lake to drop to freezing.

Big Chill

Forecast for tonight, Dec. 6

Tonight’s forecast contains some numbers we don’t see very often. Minus 46 F, wonder what that feels like. Should I venture outside in the night to find out?

Winter Gray

8:00 am temp: 30
Yesterday: 29/26
Normal: 20/27

Just a typical winter day at State Park. Tess and I decided to forego the swimming.

There was a fine, light snow falling today. More in the forecast the next few days, along with a cold front. Calling for a low of -3 Fahrenheit Wednesday. Last year we didn’t have any subzero weather.

We’re headed to the town of Hot Springs, where even if we don’t see the sun we can sit outdoors and soak in hot mineral water. It’s a good winter coping technique.

Early spring

8:00 AM temp: 32
Yesterday: 55/34
Normal: 44/24

I’m seeing lots of goldeneyes on the lake again. They are hanging out along the edge of the ice, sometimes sitting on the ice and sometimes in the water paddling along and bobbing under.

Yesterday at dusk we saw a large flock of geese on the far side of the lake, lifting off in waves, circling, and landing again. They looked small for Canada geese, making us wonder if they could be migrating snow geese. It was too dark and they were too far away to tell. We’ll keep our eyes open the next few days.

There’s big melting going on with this warm spell. It’s supposed to reach 55 again today. I can see patches of ground in the yard again, reminding me that I need to do something about landscaping – last summer’s repair work on the house left much of the yard torn up. Time to make a plan, a good task for early spring.