Walking one of our dogs this morning when it was 19°F (-7°C) certainly made it perfectly clear that winter is coming, by the calendar date anyway. Of course, meteorological winter already arrived 7 days ago. We’ve already had our first snow, first snow that sticks, and a healthy dose of cold days so far. But there is always something about that cold, sting-your-face, feel-it-in-your-nose morning that causes you to either grimace at the fact that you are “not ready for this yet,” or look forward to the fact that the new season is really starting to tighten its grip.
I pulled this image from one of my mornings out exploring in Feb 2021 that remained undeveloped until now. I suppose the cold, biting wind this morning brought back the many times I’ve spent around the ice sheets and blocks on this lake. Last winter was a particularly good one (for whatever reason) in finding blue ice around the Great Lakes. Just 5 days earlier than when this exposure was made I photographed a lot of blue ice sheets just on Lake St. Clair, but the light wasn’t so great for frozen lake scenics like this. So I returned to find better light, but snow-covered sheets.
While I had hoped for clear tops on the sheets, the snow creates a different scene. The blue is still fairly obvious, so it wasn’t a total bust. You may also notice the lake being not quite frozen in the mid-ground. It provided me with a nice spot to reflect the sky, but also with some precautionary carefulness in maneuvering myself into this spot.
With this upcoming winter being one with La Niña influence, I am not sure what to expect when it comes to lake freezing. I’ve read it could mean more ice-cover, but all the Great Lakes were warmer than normal this past Autumn. Last winter was pretty strange in how the lakes didn’t have any significant ice cover until February, then a lot happened all at once. Maybe by February, I will be “ready for it” again.
I walk early (before sunrise) each morning, and I’ve had to closely check the weather and temperatures before each walk to know what and how to dress. So far this fall/winter, I’ve seen temperature swings of as much as 25ºF from one morning to the next. It seems unstable and unpredictable, and I think it may be the new normal for this winter. Welcome to climate change, I guess.
Lovely photo, Mark.
Unpredictable indeed. Shortly after I posted this I read that we have a “blowtorch” system of weather coming up here from the Southwest next week which is going to raise temps quite a bit.
I am still missing my long coat that Cosmo shredded one time being left alone. It was perfect for morning walks because it was comfortable from the 20s – 40s/50s. And sadly it isn’t made anymore nor have I been able to find a good replacement.
Southern Californians are never ready for such temperatures, and while I feel like I’ve been fully assimilated, I do miss the photo opportunities that real winter brings – the delicacy and textures of ice and snow in particular. Think of this when you consider whether you’re ready, and embrace these opportunities (no pressure;-).
Are you suggesting I think of SoCal during these times? 🙂
I’m not suggesting anything (of course) but if you do think of SoCal, come visit! 🙂
Love the image, Mark!!! I know what you mean by not being ready for the cold. Yesterday morning was 16 degrees, almost no frost and no wind but still cold! I find it interesting that know enough about these lakes and have spent a lot of time photographing them to explain what is happening. I know almost none of what you explain about thes lakes. More teaching from you! I hope I will also be used to the cold come February!
Thanks. It always seems to take awhile to get ready for the cold eh? You know it is going to come eventually but it seems every year is a mental thing of acclimating.