« Previous

It's Still Winter

Next »

February 27th through March 5th, 2023

Last week's temperatures were very close to normal. A few highs pushed to 40°F. A few lows fell into the lower teens (°F). There were a few days with a clear sky and more with clouds. The lake also got some snow. Through warmer, cold, cloudy, and clear the <a href='/WeeklySummaryPages/2022/1106/SquirrelFacts.html' class ='defaultlink2' target='_blank'>roundest among us</a> emptied bird feeders at an impressive rate. On Monday, we got about 3 inches of snow. Driveways that passed on shoveling up until now became a bit more impassable. Plowing, sand, and a warmer sun (when it was out) kept the roads around the lake in good shape. After plowing, Knott Lane was down to hard ice. On Thursday evening, the clouds moved to the east. The week's second snow event came on Wednesday. It was a little lighter than Monday's, but just as appreciated. Later in the week on more than one morning, we had low clouds crashing into the shoreline under a clear sky. The result was an ice coating on the trees. As the morning progressed, the coatings would get thicker. The frosty birch were the best. The bar's deck rails were safety checked after the snow. With a 3 turkey load and no discernible deformation, they passed! The snow, or more specifically the snow clearing operations, have not been kind to several mailboxes. On Sunday, a quick visual check was made of the lakes around Lucerne. Lake Wabikon et al., are showing no signs of an impending ice-out. Turning to the west, Lake Metonga looked pretty solid, too. After making tiny holes in the sky, the only task left was to journey onto the lake and check the thickness of the ice. This time of year, it can take longer than you'd think to drill a hole. Huzzah! We currently have about 15.5 inches of very good ice covering the lake. That's down about a half an inch from last week. The top side of the ice sheet was solid. The underside looked very hard, too. Sunday's sunset had a halo along with an implied promise of more snowy doom coming. The snowmobilers looked and sounded happy all last week. My guess is that the bars and restaurants that serve them are all smiles, too. It looks like we may get another week before the trails become muddy, the woods become quiet, and taps are joined to maples. It was rumored that sugarmen on the east side of the lake tapped some trees on the weekend, causing other sugarmen to shake their heads and spout some wisdom about the energy and foolishness of youth. Currently, the snow on the lake is about 6 inches thick, but it lacks that slush layer between the snow and lake ice. For now. We are expecting to see slush (and more snow **sigh**) soon.<br><br><br>-Nemo's looking forward to open water and clear driveways.

2023 Archives All Archives

Classic View Home