We had three feet of snow here in Nolalu this winter and the ground was well-frozen before the snows came. I reasoned that since the ground is unfrozen farther down, and because snow is such a good insulator, then the frozen ground should melt by the time spring came around. Well here we are, days are getting up to 7 C and we have had several nights that did not go below freezing. About half of the snow has melted and when I uncover the ground beneath the rest of the snow there is mud, not ice!
Incidentally, the deep snow pack was unique to Nolalu and other hilly country southwest of Thunder Bay. Most other areas in Northwestern Ontario had far less snow last winter. Red Lake may only have had a foot or so.
Without even digging through the snow there was evidence that the ground had thawed over the winter. Although lots of snow has melted, there is no runoff anywhere. The water is soaking into the ground and that is a good thing because it was exceptionally dry last fall.
Make Your Ice-out Prediction
Hey! It is almost April and since we're all confined to home anyway, here is a good opportunity to test my system for predicting Red Lake's ice-out.If you view it on a computer, not a smartphone, you can see how the predictions for the next two weeks compares to normal on the Weather Network's 14-day forecast. Average ice-out is May 8. Days below normal move the ice-out later; above normal move it earlier. Try it out.
Even if we are unable to get to Red Lake in May due to the travel restrictions, we will find out from a Red Laker when ice-out occurs.
2 comments:
Hey Dan it's looking kind of bleak for May but we haven't given up hope yet. Hope to see you then if not maybe later on in the summer!
Hi Dee,
Yeah, there's no telling how long this will last but I tend to agree with you that it might not be by early May. Sooner or later, though, and when it does, we will look for you. Keep safe.
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