Pandemic response - Week 50

Like all Canadians, when we had three or four days last week with some sunshine and temperatures near and even a bit above freezing, I of course excitedly thought ‘spring’!  So when I woke up on the Monday morning to a snow squall warning, a high wind warning, and wind chill temperatures nearing -20 degrees Celsius, I was more than a little upset!

Then again, we have a saying here...March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.  Although it definitely could have been even more ‘lion-like’ than it was, it was a pretty nasty day and I’ll look forward to more lamb-like days throughout the month...on our way to true spring.

Blowing snow down the river

Despite how cold it is, you can see how much the ice on the river is still starting to melt!  Both inland and along the pier.

It’s hard to see, but The Ciscoette was started up today and her engines were running...getting ready for spring.

This has also been a really great week for sunsets - definitely the best week in quite a while!  Starting with Monday night’s sunset...

Tuesday night’s sunset...

More melting...and more melting...even though it was a really cold day today!

Wednesday night’s sunset...

Thursday night’s sunset...

I went to Goderich this week and thought I’d check out the beach area there.  Here the ice is breaking up and melting even closer to the shore than in Bayfield. 

Friday night’s sunset...

Thought it might be nice to check out the Bayfield River again and I was amazed at what I saw!  At the mouth of the river, although not thick in all places, the river is still basically ice covered.  But move inland just a little bit and it’s a very different story!

And down by the river flats - no ice at all!

Here is where they were fishing just a week and a half ago.

Throwing rocks onto the river - not falling through yet but I suspect they’ll be on the bottom within a day or two.

If you look, you can see the faint path across the ice - the short-cut to the north side.  Now though, it’s completely melted next to the south pier.

Saturday night’s sunset...

Nothing new with me going down to the river and pier, I go every day, but I specifically wanted to go now as there’s a very good chance that this will be the last time I can show you photos of ice on the river.  Over the past week and a half, even with most daytime high temperatures still being below freezing, you can see that the ice is starting to thaw (and sometimes refreeze again) and break up.  If the forecast doesn’t change, we might see temperatures of up to 8 degrees next week - that will definitely start the change from winter into spring.

The big mound of ice at the mouth of the river is both shrinking, and has now split in half!

And Sunday night’s sunset to finish out the week.