Sunset and Goodbye to the Ice

[yourlibrarian]

Liked the squiggles in the sky from a sunset a few days ago.



We're in the 70s this week and all the ice has been gone since the start of the month. Here's the muskrat on the last bits of ice sheet already turning liquid.



We haven't had much snow this year but for a while it was cold enough to stick around. On this day there was bright sunshine all day and it was so strong on the snow and water one could hardly look at them.



Pretty surprised to see a bufflehead on our lake last month. We're nowhere near their winter or breeding habitats. Very small duck and as it kept diving, not that easy to get a good photo of, unfortunately.

Comments

[full_metal_ox]

In southwestern Ohio, I long since learned to set out prepared for a combination Arctic expedition and African safari, particularly in the spring and fall.

[yourlibrarian]

A wise choice! Weather apps only go so far. My partner was all ready to go for a jog this morning because the app said it wouldn't be raining for another hour. Not even 2 minutes outside he was back. Raining.

[full_metal_ox]

The one I like, and keep bookmarked on my phone (which has Internet connectivity but isn’t smart enough for a lot of apps) is Weather Underground (https://www.wunderground.com/), which has the virtue of being crowdsourced. Some stations are in places you’d expect, such as schools, airports, and government buildings, but a lot are operated by private meteorology nerds from their yards (and my region is rich in retirees with the time and funds for Citizen Science.) What’s happening at Naples Airport at hourly intervals (as reported by NOAA) is all very well, but what’s barreling my way from up the street right now is a lot more helpful.