This April is breaking records for cruelty

After three hours of snowblowing this is as far as the car got in driveway

 

Grand Marais, Minn., looks relatively normal

They say April is the cruelest month but this has been one for the record books. 

We spent the last three weeks in South Carolina and while we were away the area got three feet of snow and probably eight inches of rain. There are broken trees everywhere. The power was out for three days and that means everything in the fridge and freezer is toast. Fortunately, our propane fireplace that works without electricity prevented our pipes from freezing. This is the third time that fireplace has saved us.

As we came north up Highway 53 spring looked a month behind schedule. We saw our first frozen lake in Spooner, Wis. There was snow under the trees along Minnesota's North Shore to Thunder Bay.

The border was the real line of demarcation. There is still 2-3 feet of snow everywhere. The roads have high snowbanks. It looks just like when we left. The gravel roads are a grisly mess. 

And normal temperatures are nowhere to be seen.

In these days of climate change it may no longer be possible to predict ice-out at Red Lake but by using my formula for the past, I think we're looking at May 22. It might even be record late. To my knowledge, the record is May 26. Sorry, hope I am wrong.