I've been watching for the better part of three months now for a clear shot of all five lakes; and one finally appeared as a high pressure system moved in accross the lakes, in the wake of a late winter storm to the south.

Much less ice on Superior this winter.



peace
e

Freeze, thaw, freeze thaw. Thaw. Thaw. Thaw. Thaw. Most, if not all ice and snow on land has disappeared, which is not totally the norm for these parts in March. It sort of feels like winter had just started to get rollin, before it was cut short by these temps in the teens.

Put this birch bowl aside to dry, several weeks ago now. I'll probably be able to pull it out and sand it later this summer, along with all the other projects that have been stockpiling on the drying rack.


Just another rad shot of the lakes from NOAA.


peace
e

photos: eric berglund

Download the full size satellite image from NOAA here.

OK, so if you've checked this blog for a while now, you know a few things... of which A) Certain themes repeat themselves from one year to the next based, mostly on season and pass time; B) Thunder Bay Ontario is situated on Lake Superior; C) Winter can be long and drawn out in northwestern Ontario; D) Weather and Lake Superior are interesting subjects.

Which leads to:
The Fresh Aspects brief archival history of Lake Superior ice conditions in the month of March

And some photographic evidence:

March 5th, 2010 (most recent quality image).


March 10th, 2009- holy hell, look at all that ice!


March 10th, 2008- more than 2010



Despite the 3 feet of ice that may exist in some of the embayments on Lake Superior, we have seen significantly less ice cover in comparison to the last couple of years. So the forecast models put out in late fall 2009 were correct in predicting the outcome of a El Nino season.

So have i been surfing then? The short answer is NO. It doesn't matter how little ice there is, if there aren't any storms or significant winds, other than the common Northerly flow during the winter, there aren't many waves to be had.

The upshot has been a mild winter with good skiing and recent 14C temperatures, which i have to admit is pleasant despite the fact that i truly love winter.

peace
e

photos courtesy of NOAA GLERL Coastwatch

For interest sake and since we are getting hammered by a blizzard as i write this, lets have a look at the ice situation out on the lake in comparison to last year on the same day. This should bring to light the incredible lack of surfing that has been going on in this part of the world.

Here we have, what i was bemoaning last year on March 10th, as far ice out on Lake Superior was concerned.

Here we have the ice situation as of March 10th, 2009. Considerably more!
And not surprising either, considering the early onset of cold this year. Environment Canada also noted that "this years ice coverage is more extensive than normal". So there you have it. Ice, ice, baby. Not sure why i even bother reporting this, like some kind of junior meteorologist or dr. icecube or whatever; considering...what will be, will be.
Interest sake, i guess.


The whole upshot to all of this snow and ice, will be the increased run-off and subsequent increased water levels in the rivers and lake Superior....so, not a bad thing.

Lake Superior Ture Color MODIS Imagery, courtesy of
NOAA CoastWatch - Great Lakes Region