Four Season Cottages and Vacation Suites
On the Shore of Lake Superior
Grand Marais, Minnesota
December 2018
Dec 31: Last night 4" of light blowing snow came down giving us a morning of shoveling before heading to southern Minnesota to bring in the New Year. It is so beautiful on Croftville Road with yet another blanket of fresh snow. Lake Superior is gray today with a light gray overcast sky above her. We have 1-2ft waves from the SSE. Our high was during the night, I woke up to 21 this morning and it is 18 at noon.
Dec 30: It is another gray overcast day with flurries coming down. These flurries have been almost constant but have accumulated less than in inch in 2 days. The lanscape is striking with all the horizontal wet snow from the last storm sticking to almost every surface and now frozen hard. Lake Superior has greenish gray 1-3ft waves from the south. Overnight it was 17 and the current temp at noon is 25.
Dec 29: I watched the sky in bed last night. It was crystal clear, the stars were tinkling, and the temperatures were plummeting. Many saw their first below zero temp for the season. We were close, it got down to zero here by the lake. Then about 4am, cloud cover started shadowing the stars and by sunrise the temps had climbed to 11 degrees. Our high today under the heavy cloud cover is 17. Snow flurries are frequent, and Lake Superior is a greenish blue with 1-2ft waves from the SSW.
Dec 28: The snow ended sometime in the early morning hours. It is tough to say how much we got because it was so wet. However, my best guess down here by the lake is about 10-12 inches of heavy wey snow. It was still 33 when I checked at midnight but by morning the temps had dropped to 16 by the lake. Now I have the pleasure of scraping the last 4" of now frozen icy snow off the walkways. It looks like a winter wonderland outside this morning. Lake Superior is a dark blue green with 3ft roller waves banging into the shore from the SE.
Dec 27: The wet snow hit about 2am here along the shore. The wind picked up around midnight. Lake Superior has a brownish green band along the shore from churning up the water with the waves from the SE that built to 4-6ft by mid-day. It is heavy wet snow that is accumulating fast and sticking to vertical and horizontal surfaces alike. We had about 4" accumulation by daybreak and another 4" here through the day. It is still coming down. I hope it ends by morning. It was 32 when I got up for our morning low and our high for the day was 34.
Dec 26: Lake Superior was a calm blue gray today and almost glass on its surface. I guess it is the proverbial "calm before the storm." Skies were a gray overcast and still. Our low was 18 and our high was 29. Everyone and everything is predicting heavy snow tomorrow, we will just have to wait and see now.
Dec 25: There are gray overcast skies today. On the horizon there is a dark bluish gray cloudfront over the lake. The sun came out for a while this morning when it rose above the dark cloudbank on the horizon but before it got shadowed by the gray overcast. Our morning low was 21.
Dec 24: Lake Superior was a greenish blue today with small waves from the SE. Overhead our skies were lightly overcast with the sun almost able to burn through. Our low was 20 and our high 29. A trace of snow fell in the afternoon.
Dec 23: About 2" of snow fell during the night with an overnight low of 23. Light snow continued on through the day accumulating 4" total. Our afternoon high was 31. Lake Superior had 1-2ft gray waves from the SE. The winds were calm making for easy shoveling.
Dec 22: It is a dark gray overcast this morning. All of a sudden the weather servces are predicting 3" of snow. Well, it kind of feels like snow outside but we will wait and see if it materializes. Yesterday they were saying no chance of snow for 6 days. It is 20 degrees this morning. Apparently, it dipped down to 12 ovenight but has now steadily been rising. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves from the SE. We saw 2 freighters out on the lake while traveling from Duluth last night.
Dec 21: It was a colder day today. Our low was 13 and our high was 19. Lake Superior was a blue gray with 1-3ft waves from the SE. Skies were mostly cloudy.
Dec 20: We woke up to sand trucks and a light mist coming down that was coating everything with a thin layer of ice. Lake Superior was a calm dark blue with a dark blue cloud front blocking the sunrise. Temps only dropped to 31 last night here by the lake but that was enough to form the ice coating. Up higher on the trail this mositure translated to an inch of snow. As the sun has climbed in the sky we find ourselves with mostly cloudy skies with a little sun breaking through. We also find the temperatures climbing. It is 34 at noon.
Dec 19: We had 26 overnight with a high of 36 today. Lake Superior had 1-3ft silver green waves from the south. The wind was out in force and the sun broke through the clouds from time to time.
Dec 18: We had 18 overnight but it is quickly warming up with 34 degrees at noon. It was a gorgeous sunrise over the lake. There was a cloudbank over the southeastern horizon and just a sliver of light was able to light up the silver gray water with still dark nighttime skies jsut above the horizon. To the south the cloubank ended and there was just a single planet still visible. As the sun rose, the cloudbank turned to shades of oranges and reds. Lake Superior has 2-3ft silver green waves from the SSE.
Dec 17: An ore freighter passed by quite close to Croftville early this morning still all lit up even though the sun was already coming up. We have sun coming thrugh a hazy blusih gray sky. It turned cold overnight with a morning low of 15. I think our long spell of warm temps this month has ended for now. Lake Superior is gray with blinding reflections in the area of the rising sun in the haze. The lake has a textured surface with small waves from the south.
Dec 16: The warm weather continues with a morning low of 28 and an afternoon high of 43. We had mostly blue skies yesterday and plenty of sun. There was a really strong steady wind all day that continued into the night. Lake Superior had 1-3ft blue green waves from the SSW.
Dec 15: It is another warm December day with a low of 27 and a high of 39. We had clear skies most of the day. Lake Superior was a bluish green with 2-3ft waves from the SSW in the morning that subsided to just 1ft waves in the late afternoon. It was a good day to go select a Balsam Fir for our Christmas tree.
Dec 14: We lost a lot of snow today. The sun was out and our overnight low of 30 degrees jumped to a remarkable 42 this afternoon. Lake Superior was a bluish green with 2-4ft waves from the SSW, some of the waves with whitecaps on them before breaking.
Dec 13: It stayed above freezing all night. Right now it is 36 degrees at 11am. Skies are a heavy gray overcast which is minimizing the amount of melting snow. Lake Superior has 2-3ft grayish green waves from the south. There is a white band of sky on the lake horizon.
Dec 12: It warmed up overnight and was 31 degrees at sunrise. The high for today is right now at 11pm at 34 degrees. If it were not for the heavy gray overcast skies, we probably would have lost quite a bit of snow today. As it was we just lost a little ice on the sidewalks and pavements. Lake Superior had gray textured waves of 2-3ft from the SE today.
Dec 11: Our low was 14 and our high so far this afternoon is 25. We have gray overcast skies and a gray lake to match. Waves are less than a foot. Last night the skies cleared and I could see the constellations in bed. About 1:00am I woke and saw a ore freighter quite close in approaching from Thunder Bay. He was all lit up with sparkling lights, must have been decorated for Christmas. I could tell he was moving fast but he was still about 10 minutes away I guessed so I shut my eyes. The next time I opened them it was 1:40am and all I could see was his lights in the distance past Grand Marais. I should have known better.
Dec 10: The low was 19 and the high 33 today. We had lightly overcast skies. Lake Superior has 2-4ft blue gray waves from the south.
Dec 9: The low was 19 and the high was 32 today. We went cross-country skiing up at the Pincushion Mountain trails this afternoon. They are groomed with maybe about 3" of packed snow on the trails but there are still patches of ice from water in unfrozen soil still seeping to the surface. Conditions were good for our first Sunday afternoon excursion on the trails for the year. Lake Superior was blue with 2-3ft waves from the south witha few whitecaps. A large freighter passed by around noon but it seems to be hidden by a light veil of moisture, almost looked like a ghost ship.
Dec 8: The skies cleared during the night and the star were absolutely brilliant. Temps dropped to 13 but with the bright sun and blue skies this morning are quickly rising. Already it is 22 a 10am. Lake Superior has 2ft deep bright blue waves with dark olive shadows from the south.
Dec 7: Our low this morning was 2 degrees and our afternoon high was 17. Temps really dropped overnight with clear skies and all of the stars and planets lighting up the night. Just after sunrise, a front moved in from the west and all we had were light gray overcast the rest of the day. Lake Superior was a light gray with 1-2ft waves from the south. In spite of the cold this morning, it was more comfortable at 3 degrees and the low humidity than the 28 degrees and high humidity just 2 days ago.
Dec 6: Boy, did it cool off last night. It was 27 when I went to bed and 13 when I woke up. At noon we have only warmed up to 14 so far. There are clear blue skies over the lake and over Croftville. I see a white cloudbank across the lake in Wisconsin and the upper peninsula. Lake Superior is a bright blue with silver highlights from the reflecting sun. The surface has only small ripples on what is a calm day.
Dec 5: Our morning low was 24 and so far this afternoon it is 28. We have gray overcast skies which probably accounts for the narrow temperature range. Lake Superior is a greenish gray with 1-2ft waves from the SSW. On the southern horizon we have again a blackish blue cloud mass over northern Wisconsin. It feels much colder than it is outside. The humidity must be really high for it to feel so cold at 28 degrees.
Dec 4: Our low this morning was a chilly 14. Skies are lightly overcast but it has still warmed up this afternoon to 25 degrees. Lake Superior is silver today with green shadows. We have 2-3ft roller waves on a slightly textured surface rolling in from the south. Skies are a backish blue on the southern horizon. I wouldn't want to be in northern Wisconsin or the UP today.
Dec 3: There were many freighters passing by Croftville last night. I could hear the large waves breaking and then buffeting the shore. Skies began to clear overnight and I could begin to see the stars. Today we have clear blue skies overhead. Lake Superior is a bright blue with navy shadows and much smaller 1-2ft waves from the SSW. On the horizon to the south there is a huge dark cloud mass over northen Wisconsin. Temps dropped to 19 degrees this morning but are now warming up in the sun.
Dec 2: Low today was 27 and a high of 32. The skies to the south are a blackish blue giving us a hint of the snowstorms in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Up here, we just have overcast skies and calm air after some poewerful winds during the night. Lake Superior is a blue gray with 2-3ft roller waves.
Dec 1: We started the day at 30 degrees and have held steady all day long. Temps have begun to drop slowly in the afternoon to start December. Overhead we have cloudy and overcast skies. Gitche Gumi is a blue green with 1-2ft waves from the SSE.
November 2018
Nov 30: The snow came down quite hard around sunset last night. We ended up with 4-5" of sticky snow total. Today I had about 6 hours of shoveling. I woke up to 31 degrees and our high for the day was 33. We had cloudy skies all day and Lake Superior was a blusih green with 1ft waves on a textured surface from the SSE.
Nov 29: Lake Superior has a greenish gray textured surface today with dark olive shadows. We have 1ft waves from the SSE. The morning temp rose ovenight to 27 degrees and has continued to rise to 33 this afternoon. The snow flurries falling through the night have now changed to a steady snow with about 1" of accumulation through the morning. With the rising temps, the snow is sticky. It is expected to last most of the day. I am trying to hold off shoveling until the snow stops.
Nov 28: The morning low was 13, it was 16 at noon, and 23 at sunset. It is supposed to have rising temperatures through the night. Outside it is a calm (both lake and wind) and a white overcast. Light sleet and snow flurries are frequent.
,br> Nov 27: Our low this morning was 15 and our high 24. The day was lightly overcast with snow flurries coming down. Lake Superior had only small waves on its bluish black surface with silver highlights.
Nov 26: The wind was relentless today. It was fun to watch it pelt the otherwise mostly smooth surface of Lake Superior. Gusts would hit the lake so hard that they would create spray from their impact. It was not fun chasing after our placards that were torn from our sign kiosk or anything else the wind decided to through around. Our low this morning was 15 but or high was only 18.
Nov 25: The temperatures continue to drop gradually. We woke up to 26 and it is now 23 at 3pm. We do have sun bursting through the light overcast skies and snow flurries. Lake Superior is a colorless gray with silver highlights. The wind is brisk from the SW and it is driving the small waves in the same direction.
Nov 24: We woke up to 37 this morning and the temp has been dropping gradually all day. Yesterday, it made it to 42 and rained all day from mid-morning on. Around 10am today it dropped to 34 and we had snow flurries start. Snow flurries have come down the rest of the day. Lake Superior is a dark gray and mostly calm. The sky is a medium gray except in the area of the sun were the overcast is white.
Nov 23: After we got above freezing yesterday afternoon, I thought that would be it for warm temps. I was wrong. Temps continued to rise through the night and we are now at 39 degrees this morning. We even lost most of that fluffy snow we had on Tuesday during the night. It is warm this morning with sunny but a bit hazy skies. We have 2-3ft waves coming straight in from the SSE. Lake Superior is a blusih silver with black shadows.
Nov 22: Happy Thanksgiving. This is the earliest day Thankgiving can occur on. Lake Superior has 4-5ft dark almost black waves with amazing whitecaps. The waves are coming straight in from the SSE. We saw several freighters passing by during the night staying pretty close to our North Shore.
Nov 21: It was cold this morning again with a low of 6. Had to finish up the shoveling from yesterday but waited until we were in the teens temperature wise. Shoveling, I was surprised to find how pleasant it was. There was no wind and pleanty of sun and my fingers didn't even get cold. Lake Superior is a dark blue with silver highlights. Our afternoon temp got into the mid 20's.
Nov 20: We got a snow storm late this morning and early afternoon. All total about 4" of fluffy snow that made for light shoveling. It is such a pretty fresh blanket covering the boreal forest just in time for Thanksgiving. Lake Superior was very dark gray that disappeared into the white snow blur. Our low this morning was 3 and our afternoon high was 19.
Nov 19: It was 9 dgrees this morning and our afternoon high was 17 before dropping quickly before sunset. It is already 7 degrees here by the lake at 8pm, it will likely get much colder tonight. Lake Superior was a bluish gray and mostly calm today witha pretty smooth surface. Skies overhead were mildly overcast.
Nov 18: The big lake is calm and smooth today with a blue gray surface. Skies are lightly overcast and there is a chance of light snow tonight. Our morning low was 11 and our high was 21.
Nov 17: We woke up to cold in the teens this morning. It warmed up into the low 20's and we end the day with the low temp of the day at 15. Lake Superior was mostly calm with a smooth blue surface against a mostly sunny sky.
Nov 16: Our high was 31 today which was this morning and has gradually dropped into the mid 20's through the day. Wet snow fell last night but by morning it left about an inch of snow frozen with some ice to everything it fell on. We got up and shoveled as much as we could away. I hope sublimation and sun will get rid of the remaining snow and ice from the walkways and stairs.
Nov 15: A funny thing happened late yesterday afternoon. The temperature started rising from the mid 20's in mid afternoon to 37 by nightfall. All through the night the temps stayed in the upper 30's and now all day today we have been in the upper 30's with the snow melting off of roads, walkways, and roofs. By nightfall last night the calm Lake Superior had turned into 3-5ft whitecaps pounding the bank and strong winds were whistling through the windows. The wind has subsided but the lake had built up to 4-6ft whitecaps from the south by sunrise. We have cloudy skies with a hint of blue in places and a greenish gray lake that has now settled down a bit to 2-4ft waves from the SSW.
Nov 14: It is a little warmer this morning with a low of 11 degrees. I watched the sun come over the horizon and into the clear skies. I don't think this will last for long since I can see mostly cloudy skies to the north, south, and west. Lake Superior is mostly calm this morning with just ripples on its faint gray blue surface.
Nov 13: It was the coldest day of the year with a morning low of 9 degrees and an afternoon high of 25. This was actually surprising since we had a good amount of sun today. However, the sun is no longer high enough in the sky to overpower a cold air mass at this time of year. We traveled to Duluth for a shopping trip and were amazed at how many ships and freighters we sas on the way down and back up. Lake Superior was a brilliant blue in the sun.
Nov 12: This morning we have gray overcast skies and a morning low of 21. The air is still. Lake Superior has 1-2ft roller waves with a short period from the SSW. The lake is textured with blue gray highlights and greenish gray shadows.
Nov 11: We awoke to 3" of fresh snow on the ground and with another 2" coming down before ending around noon. The sun came out for part of the afternoon and temps rose to 33 degrees before beginning to fall off into the 20's. Our low this morning was 21. Lake Superior had 1-2ft waves from the south. The surface was a highly textured silver blue in the afternoon.
Nov 10: We had sun this morning which we have been in short supply for quite some time. But, we also have the coldest temps of the season with a low this morning of 9 degrees down here next to the lake. Our high was in the mid 20's. The sun lasted all morning but clouds started coming in by afternoon and some of the skies were almost black to the west. I thought for sure that snow was coming but it never arrived.
Nov 9: We woke up to 3" of snow and 24 degrees this morning. At 2pm it is now up to a whopping 25 degrees and I expect temps will begin dropping shortly. Snow has come down all day with only small breaks. The first snowplows went by this morning but I think they were just anxious to get started and probably jumped the gun. So far we have only accumulated an extra 2" today making our total here Croftville about 5". Lake Superior looks like molten metal and has 2ft gray roller waves from the SE with a highly textured surface.
Nov 8: We woke up to 26 this morning. There are white overcast skies with light snow flurries coming down. Lake Superior is a bluish silver with a textured surface and small roller waves from the south. It is not likely we will see the sun nor melting temperatures today.
Nov 7: We saw our high of 38 right away this morning and then watched temps drop slowly over the day to 28 by evening. There was a brisk wind that was playing havoc with our sign placards. It looks like today is he last day we will see temps above freezing for the next week or more. I guess winter is on its way. Lake Superior had 2-3ft gray waves from the SSW.
Nov 6: It is another mild November day. Our low this morning was 38 and our high this afternoon is 43. We have cloudy skies with signs of sun almost peaking through. There is no wind today. We had a light rain or mist all night that continued through the morning. We woke up to a still blue gray Lake Superior which has turned into small silver gray waves from the SSW.
Nov 5: Temps warmed up overnight and the snow that was accumulating last night has melted here along the lake and turned to a light continuous rain. Inland there is 4-6 inches of wet heavy snow on the ground. Waves have diminished to 2-4ft gray and navy waves from the SSE with a few whitecaps. Our low overnight was 33 but it was 37 degrees on its way to 44 at sunrise.
Nov 4: Our low was 33 and our high was 42 at 2pm. Temperatures are now dropping and we at 37 at 3pm. There is a winter storm warning for the arrowhead and rain began around 1:30pm. There is a strong wind from the ESE and the waves on Superior are picking up. Currently we have 4-5ft blue green waves from the SE and lots of whitecaps. The rain is now coming down more as a heavy mist and I expect it will change to snow soon.
Nov 3: There was a low of 35 and a high of 44 along Lake Superior with no precipitation in Croftville. There was precipitation out on the lake and across the lake. It was quite the scene watching these rain showers dropping on the lake. At one point I could see 4 separate showers taking place out over the lake around noon. Skies were not blue nor clear. but the haze overhead was light enough to make the skies white. Where the storms are we could see the patches of sun between the isolated rain storms. Under the falling rain it was dark blue and elsewhere a sky blue. Lake Superior itself was multi-shades of blue and white after the pink and blue sunrise.
Nov 2: The storms tracked south over northern Wisconsin and the UP. We has light cloud cover this morning but across the lake we could see thunderheads and a dark horizon line. Our low this morning was 35 and our high was only 41. Lake Superior was glass this morning but changes to a textured surface with small dark blue and silver waves this afternoon.
Nov 1: We had a low of 32 and a high of 48 to begin November here in Croftville. We have sun which is a rare commodity this fall. Lake Superior has 1-2ft steel blue waves from the SSW. It was a comfortable day to be outside and finish some of those "getting ready for winter" tasks. Overcast skies showed up late in the afternoon, there is a chance of light rain or snow overnight.
October 2018
Oct 31: Happy Halloween. The low this morning was 38 and the high today 48. We had cloudy skies with big gray clouds. At times it looked like rain bioth to the south and north of us but nothing ever materialized here. Lake Superior had 2-3ft gray waves from the SSW today. When the cloud cover was thin, the refelected light off the water made the water look like liquid metal.
Oct 30: Our low this morning was 42 and our high was 46. It appeared to have rained overnight but no precipitation came down today in Croftville. Lake Superior is a metallic gray with 1-3ft waves from the south. With the strong breeze, it feels much colder than the temperatures indicate.
Oct 29: Sun seems to be a fairly rare thing this fall season and today will be no exception. Once again we have gray overcast skies with a chance of light rain today after having light rain overnight. Lake Superior has 2-3ft roller waves from the SSW this morning. You can see signs of clearing across the lake in northern Wisconsin but it is unlikely to get here. Our low this morning is 42.
Oct 28: We had a low of 44 and a high of 47 today. There was so little variation because of the heavy overcast skies and light rain that fell for much of the day. I couldn't convince any of our company to go on a little hike so we stayed indoors by the fire, watched some movies, and played games. Lake Superior didn't provide any special entertainment with gray 1-2ft waves from the SE. However, that is often enough aas you stare mesmerized by the lake.
Oct 27: It is rainy and gray overcast here on Lake Superior today. The lake has 1ft greenish gray waves from the SE. There is only a small breeze. Our morning low was 42 and so far it is 46 late in the afternoon.
Oct 26: It was a wet mild late October day here on Croftvillle Road. The light rain was pretty much continuous. Our low was 43 and our high was 46. Skies were a gray overcast and Lake Superior had 1-2ft greeninsh gray waves from the SSE.
Oct 25: There was a low of 35 and a high of 49 today. Rain fell overnight ending in the morning and then starting up again in the late afternoon. Skies were gray overcast all day. Lake Superior had 1-2ft gray waves from the south.
Oct 24: We had clouds this morning, overcast skies in the middle of the day, and sun, moon, and stars from mid-afternoon on. Our low was 28 amd our high was 46. Lake Superior had modest 1-2ft blue gray waves from the SE.
Oct 23: It was 35 when I got up and reached 45 this afternoon with overcast skies most of the day. Lake Superior was a steel gray today with 1-3ft waves from the SE. Overnight I watched 2 freighters about 5 miles from shore.
Oct 22: We had a low this morning of 32 and a high of 55 this afternoon. The day couldn't make up its mind what the weather was going to be like. Most of the morning felt like rain (or snow) was in the air but all we got were a couple sprinkles. The afternoon looked like it might clear up, it never did, but at least it got warm. At twilight, the temps plummeted into the low 40's and the gusts of winds made you think it was going to snow. Meanwhile, Lake Superior stayed relatively calm with wind gusts buffeting the steel gray surface.
Oct 21: No wind today. We have cloudy skies overhead but with a tiny amount of blue between the clouds. Our morning starts with 30 degrees but it is expected to climb into the 40's today. It will be a better day to be outside without battling the wind. Lake Superior has 1-2ft grayish blue waves still from the SSW. It was a beautiful sunrise as the sun poked out from behing the cloud cover creating blues, pinks, and reds.
Oct 20: It was a cold and windy day on Lake Superior. The strong winds and gusts would pelt the lake surface and move water across what was an otherwise fairly calm lake. The wind and colt temps made it hard to be outside unless you were directly in the sun. There was a lot of sun with only occasional clouds passing by. We woke up to 32 but then temps dropped to 29 before gradually making their ascent into the upper 30's. Quite a change from the warm indian summer of the last 2 days. Lake Superior was a steel blue with silver highlights from the sun.
Oct 19: It started the day at 35 but quickly rose into the 40's, and then the 50's, before finally hitting a high of 60 in the late afternoon. Lake Superior was really putting on a show yesterday with 3-5ft waves from the SSW and ore freighters passing by. During the night, I saw the lights of 4 freighters all at once as I looked from my bedroom window. Lake Superior was a steel gray and often looked like liquid metal as the lake churned.
Oct 18: It was a gorgeous day today with colorful clouds, plenty of sun, and a high of 56. It warmed up overnight and was 35 by sunrise. Lake Superior was booming with 4-5ft waves from the SSW. The wind was powerful and seemed to come from all directions. Lake Superior was that amazing steel blue color you usually only see in the fall.
Oct 17: Oh, was it cold today. We woke up with about an inch of snow accumulation and 30 degrees. In spite of the partly sunny skies, our high was only 37. Lake Superior had 3-4ft steel gray waves from the strange obligue direction of the SW. The snow on the north sides of the buildings never left us today. Temps started falling after sunset and by the time I went to bed we were all the way down to 27 degrees.
Oct 16: It was another cold dreary day. It is funny how soon you forget what it is like to have sun when all you get is rain and overcast skies. Lake Superior was gray all the way down the shore as we traveled to Duluth to see a cross country meet. It was so cold I don't know how these young people cope with the conditions. Overcast skies, a hord cold wind, and the temperature struggling to get in the upper 30's. Winter does not seem far away.
Oct 15: It is remarkable how quickly the leaves are being stripped from the trees after the freeze and with the strong winds ripping the golden leave from the trees. Temps today are in the upper 30's and will be hard pressed to find 40 degrees. We have rain and Lake Superior has a brown band near the shore from the stirring up of the alake bed by large 3-5ft waves from the infrequent direction of the SSW.
Oct 14: It is cloudy and overcast today with temps in the upper 30's and low 40's. Lake Superior is a bluish gray with 1-2ft waves from the south. Leaves are rapidly dropping from the birch and aspens today. The forest is still beautiful with color but we are now definately past peak color after the dropping leaves of the last 2 days.
Oct 13: We had the coldest night of the year last night with a low of 26 and a high only in the mid 30's. Leaves really began to drop today after that hard frost here along the lake. In-land, the trees had already began dropping their colorful leaves earlier this week. Today, I think we will be past peak after today.
Oct 12: It was a cold morning with a temp of 30. Our high only got to 36. With light snow coming down it is beginning to feel more like early winter rather than fall. I am looking forward to warmer temps next week. Lake Superior is gray and we like seeing the ore freighters passing by. Here's hoping for some sun next week.
Oct 11: The waves were huge last night. I would hear them hit as they pushed rocks onto the shore. As the water receded you could hear the rocks grinding and tumbling back as the water pulled them back. The it would all begin again. Our high was 43 today and our low this morning was 36. I woke up to our first snow coming down pretty hard but failing to accumulate here by the lake. It was our first glimpse of sun today in almost a week but most the day was overcast. At least after the snow, it wasn't raining. Ore freighters were very busy today seeing no less than 5 pass Croftville. Two of them seemed to be in a race to see who could get to Grand Marais first.
Oct 10: It rained all night and our cat meowed all night. She wanted to go outside but wouldn't go out when I would open the door for her because of the rain and wind. We could hear the waves building and the grinding of the rocks as the waves tossed them about down on the shore. This morning we woke to 4-6ft waves from the SE pounding the shore. Lake Superior had the chocolate milk band for the first hundred yards our followed by a blue green band out to the horizon. That brown chocolate milk band occurs when under two circumstances. One is heavy rain causing a lote of runoff into Superior full of sediment from the rivers and streams. The other is large waves churning up sediment on the lake bed. Today we had both occurring. It was so cold today, Our high was 46 and our low 37 but it rained most of the day and the wind swept right through your clothes.
Oct 9: Our low this morning was 41 and the high is unlikely to get out of the low 40's. It rained all night and waves on Superior picked up to 4ft as they crashed into the shore. I could feel the vibrations in my bed. The lake has calmed down this morning with 1-2ft waves from the SE. Gray is the color of the sky and the lake. Green, yellow, and orange is the colors of the boreal forest. Waves of rain are expected all day long with the rain being heavy at time.
Oct 8: Our low was 42 and our high 46 today. It rained steadily from a mist to a medium rain all day long with dark gray overcast skies. Lake Superior was a dark gray with 2-3ft waves from the SE with a rippled surface.
Oct 7: We had 41 degrees this morning and it is 43 dgrees this afternoon. Croftville has been a land of overcast mist today. It's not like it is raining, but you can't really say it's not raining either. Every surface is wet and as you walk you can feel the mist on your face. Lake Superior is a silver gray with bluish shadows. The waves are 2-3ft from the SE. You can see lighter clouds to the south on the horizon but this is not coming our way.
Oct 6: It was 44 this morning when we got up and left Grand Marais for a cross country meet in Duluth. By the time we rove down the shore we had wind and 39 degrees. Then the rain started to make for miserable conditions. By early afternoon we were on the verge of sun and we did manage a high of 48 before the gray overcast skies and rain returned. There were 5 ore freighters waiting to get into the Duluth harbor when we arrived.
Oct 5: It was 37 this morning and rain. Lake Superior has 2-3ft waves from the south with a rippled gray surface. It looks like this overcast and steady rain will continue most of the day. We are too warm next to the lake to have snow but inland this rain is wet snow instead.
Oct 4: There were tremendous winds off the hill last night starting about 10pm. Power went out along much of the shore with snapped off trees and uprooted trees on the power lines. We lost power from 10:45pm to 7:45am and we were licky since most people had power ott much longer. Croftville Road had many trees blocking the pavement but the county highway department did an amazine job quickly clearing the roadways. Today was a stunning fall day with partly cloudy skies, plenty of sun, and brilliant fall colors. After the wind, I know we are not yet at peak color. If we were at peak color, that wind would have stripped the trees of their leaves and most are still hanging on to their leaves. We watched 3 ships pass by in the night all lit up. Our high was 55.
Oct 3: The sun was blocked by fog most of the day and then the rain came. It came down hard during the late afternoon and was a steady soaking rain after that. Lake Superior is gray with small waves on a rippled surface from the SE. The high today was 56 and the low 48.
Oct 2: It was 35 this morning and 54 this afternoon. The sun found its way out for awhile today. When it was out, it was warm; when it was not, it was cold. Lake Superior was a ble gray that kept changing as the cloud cover changed. The gold in the aspens is really taking over the green.
Oct 1: October arrived with gray overcast skies and light rain for most of the afternoon. Lake Superior has 1-2ft waves. Our low was 38 and our high today was 51. The maples are now in full color and the aspen and birch are beginning to show signs of gold.
September 2018
Sept 30: It was 35 again this morning with a high of 54. Lake Superior was gray this morning with overcast skies. Around noon, skies cleared up and Lake Superior turned blue with 2ft waves. It was a beautiful afternoon to enjoy the fall colors and scenery or take a nap outside covered with a blanket.
Sept 29: It was cold last night. Our thermometer said 35 but there was a frozen sheet of thin ice on the garbage can this morning. Our high today was 46. The sunrise with clouds to the east was a beautiful array of whites, blues, and pinks but soon afterwards we settled into a white overcast that kept us from the sun and blue skies. Lake Superior is a grayish black with just small waves from the south.
Sept 28: It was 43 this morning with a high of 48 this afternoon. Lake Superior is surprisingly calm with only 1ft waves from the SE. We have been mostly cloudy most of the day with light rain for an hour here and there. The sun lit up the clouds and sky this morning near the sunrise with blues, whites, and reds. Most of the cloud cover that was over the sun were a purplish gray and had the look of rain. There was someone in a small baot with an outboard motor trolling around in front of Croftville Road for quite some time this morning enjoying the sights
Sept 27: Lake Superior was stormy today with 2-3ft gray waves and a constant rain and overcast skies for most of the day. Our high was 59 after a morning low of 49. My feet were cold working outdoors in the rain. We saw 2 ore freighters pass by this afternoon.
Sept 26: We woke up to purple cirrus clouds across the sky with the sun shining underneath them before it got above them in the sky. As the sun rose above the clouds they slowly turned white. Most of today we now have partly cloudy skies with cumulus clouds and plenty of sun. Our low this morning was 44 degrees and so far it has only rose to 52 degrees this afternoon. Lake Superior is a grayish black with 2-3ft waves from the SSW and blinding white reflections of the sun off the wave crests.
Sept 25: There was no sun today. We had dark gray skies, mist, and light rain during the day. This changed to a steady rain this evening. Our low this morning was 43 and our high managed 62. Lake Superior was gray with 2-3ft waves.
Sept 24: It warmed up overnight and was 52 degrees by morning. Lake Superior has greenish gray 2-4ft waves from the SE. Skies overhead are a light gray overcast and by noon we have only warmed up to 56 degrees. There is no rain but everything is wet with dew and their is no sun to evaporate that dew away.
Sept 23: The low this morning was 42 and our high did not manage to get our of the 40's today. We had high winds and 5-6ft gray waves pounding the shore od Lake Superior from the SE. There was a light rain or mist falling parts of the day. No sign of the sun today.
Sept 22: It was 44 this morning and our afternoon high was 59 today. Not much sun although it showed its head at times. Around 1pm the lake was black with blinding silver white reflections coming off the 3-4ft waves from the south. The wind picked up in the afternoon and ripped the remaining plastic pieces of tarp off my canvas shed. Only noticed 2 ore freighter passing by the shore about 1-2miles out.
Sept 21: Today was a stormy day as eveidenced by waht we saw on the lake. It wasn't the big 3-5ft blackish blue waves from the SE. It wasn't the dark thunderheads we could see over the horizon, and it wasn't the gale force winds that tore the tarp off my canvas sheds that told us it was a stormy day. What we saw on Lake Superior were 5 ore freighters hugging the northern route across the lake that was the sure sign that stormy weather was out on Superior. I think the last time I saw ore freighters out on the lake was back in July during a storm. It is a sure fire indication that fall is here when you see the ore freighters passing Grand Marais during stormy weather. Our low this morning was 53 but by noon it had dropped 5 degrees to 48. Our high for the day was 55 at midnight.
Sept 20: Lake Superior really looked like fall today. The lake was almost black at the horizon. As you got closer to shore the blackish blue lake had 2-4ft waves with bright whitecaps from the SE. Even closer in the breaking waves had a emerald underbelly. Skies were heavily clouded early this morning and then turned to a gray overcast and mist which finally turned to a steady ligth rain. Our low this morning was 50 and our high was 57 this afternoon.
Sept 19: We got to 61 yesterday for a high. Today our high was only 58 after a morning low of 52. Skies were cloudy or overcast all day today. Lake Superior was a greenish gray with 1-3ft waves from the SE. We had mist at times but it never really rained. We could see some impressive storm fronts to the south across Lake Superior.
Sept 18: Our low this morning is 50 which is the coldest we have had in a couple weeks. It feels good to have more seasonable weather. Lake Superior is a dark gray with 1-2ft waves from the SE. Overhead patches of blue can be seen through the dark gray clouds. I expect as the sun gets higer than the clouds and back lights them they will turn white. They are predicting the temps will stay in the 50's today. It has been a long time since we had a high temp in the 50's.
Sept 17: Our low this morning was 62 and our high was 68 after a high yesterday of 73. There is a change of weather in the air. We had periods of sun today. We can feel the humidity subsiding. There was a dark blue sky on the horizon lat today that has the feel of fall nights. Lake Superior was a dark blue today with small waves from the SSE. The temperature at 8pm has already dropped down to our morning low. I will enjoy a crisp cool night.
Sept 16: We didn't get any additional rain yesterday but we did have an encore performance of the thunderstorm from the previous night. Sat awake for a couple hours enjoying the lightning show and the thunder. When the rain started there was a strong wind from the east driving rain through open but proetected windows even under covered porches. This morning we have a dark overcast skies and the temp is 63. Lake Superior has 1ft silver gray waves form the SE with a highly textured surface.
Sept 15: There was quite a ligthning/thunder/rain storm during the night. It was hard to ignore with all the light, noise, and rain. It was a show worth watching, though. This morning it is humid and still looks like we could get more rain with the overcast skies. The low this morning was 63. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves from the south.
Sept 14: Lake Superior is a silver blue this morning with green shadows. The waves are 1-2ft from the south today. The morning low was 63 which is quite warm for this time of year. Overhead, we have clear blue skies. We drove over to the range yesterday and saw that many of the maple trees are in full color inland.
Sept 13: Our high today was a whopping 77 here down by the lake in Croftville. Add to that the humidity and this is quite unusual for mid September. Lake Superior was blue with mostly clear skies overhead. Our low this morning was 60 and our sunrise was again a fuzzy orange ball. There really wasn't any clouds so it must either be smoke or the humidity in the air that is making the sunrise so hazy.
Sept 12: The waves really picked up during the night but settled back down to 1-3ft waves from the SSE this morning. Lake Superior is a silver blue with dark olve green shadows this morning. Our low was 56 and the air is still. Overhead we have a few cirrus clouds. The sunrise was obscured by a cloudbank making the sun look like a fuzzy orange ball. The high this afternoon was 74.
Sept 11: It was actually hot today along Lake Superior. Our high was 74 but there was no breeze so it felt much hotter in the sun. Lake Superior was a steel blue with 2-3ft waves coming in straight from the SSE. Later in the day we could feel the humidity increasing.
Sept 10: It kept starting to rain and then it would quit. This happened again and again today. It's like the skies couldn't decide if they really wanted to open up or not. It was overcast with glimpses of sun. Lake Superior had 2-3ft blue gray waves from the SSE. Around 5pm we had an amazing double rainbow over Croftville Road Cottages. our low this morning was 52 and our high 67.
Sept 9: Skies started to become a gray overcast shortly after sunrise. Out morning low was 54. Lake Superior had 2-4ft blue gray waves from the SSE. The lake has calmed through the day and we now have 2ft silver gray waves. I can begin to see a hint of colr change in almost all the deciduous trees and plants along the shore. Trees are still predominantly green but you can see signs of fall.
Sept 8: It was a gorgeous fall day in Croftville. Lake Superior was steel blue with a smattering of white caps on the 2-3ft waves. Our low this morning was 49 and the high was 66. Overhead we had mostly blue skies with thin cirrus clouds passing by intermittently. The crisp nights have set off overly sensitive smoke alarms when the temps drop into the 40's and no one has shut the windows or turned on the heat.
Sept 7: Lake Superior looked like fall today. It had steel blue 2-4ft waves from the SSE with a few whitecaps dotting the surface. The horizon was light blue and crisply separated from the lake. Our low this morning was 52 and our high was 69. There was a gentle cool breeze off the lake all day.
Sept 6: It is a beautiful morning on Lake Superior. The lake is mostly calm with a blue rippled surface and 2 faint blue horizontal bands near the horizon. We have bright blue clear skies and a warm sun after a chilly night of 47 degrees. I enjoyed watching the stars last night which were out and bright for the first time in probably a week.
Sept 5: It managed to climb to 75 in the late afternoon after a day that saw us with overcast skies and temps that were in the mid 60's most of the day. Lake Superior had 2-4ft waves in the morning but subsided to nearly calm by late afternoon. The gray lake turned to bright blue when the overcast skies cleared up.
Sept 4: It is gray overcast this morning. We have 2-3ft gray waves from the SE. Rain is predicted today and it has begun misting already. Our low this morning was 56.
Sept 3: It was a nice early fall day today. We still have a tremendous amount of humidity. Our low was 61 this morning and our afternoon high was 72. Skies are mixed with clouds, a little sun, a little fog, and overcast. Lake Superior is a blue gray with 2-3ft waves from the SE.
Sept 2: It is overcast this morning. The fog over the lake only allows us to see about 100yds off the shore. Lake Superior is a greenish gray with 1ft waves from the SE. There was a large rain system heading our way this morning but it seemed to separate and disperse when it arrived in Grand Marais. Looks like we may stay rain-free and foggy for the day. Our overnight low was 60 and looks like we won't get much past 65 today.
Sept 1: September has arrived with signs of fall. We can definately see golds and reds in some of the trees and bushes. Although it is uncommonly humid, we can also feel the cool in the air after sunset. The warmth of the fires actually feel good to sit by again. We traveled down to Duluth today where temps topped out in the 80's. Here in Grand Marais and Croftville it reached 77. Lake Superior had 2-3ft waves today after the crashing 4-5ft waves during the night right after a tremendous lighning storm and rain.
August 2018
Aug 31: It started raining hard during the night. By morning it was a light rain and mist and persisted all day long. We had dark gray overcast skies and a dark gray Lake Superior. The big lake had 1ft waves from the SE and an indistinct horizon. Most of the day the sky and lake melded together seamlessly. Our high was 66 and our low was 58.
Aug 30: It was as beautiful a late summer day as one can have along the Lake Superior shore. It was sunny with blue skies and a gentle breeze off the lake. Lake Superior is a sky blue with silver highlights and olive green shadows with a highly textured surface and 1-2ft waves from the SE. Our low was 51 and the high 71. We are starting to see small signs of the coming fall. Some trees and bushes have hints of gold and orange.
Aug 29: It was an amazing late summer day in Croftville. There was a gentle breeze with sunny but slightly hazy skies. Lake Superior is a steel blue with navy shadows and silver highlights. We have 1-2ft waves from the SSW. Our low this morning was 52 and our afternoon high is 68.
Aug 28: Our low this morning was 55 and our high this afternoon was 58. We had gray overcast skies and mist all day today. The horizon was distinct in spite of the overcast. Lake Superior was a gray with tints of green. We have 2ft waves from the SE with a highly textured surface.
Aug 27: After another humid day we had a lightning storm over the lake tonight. Our high today was 72 after a morning low of 63. Waves were really crashing today from the SE. The wind and rain began around 5pm and drove our guests away from their fires and inside.
Aug 26: It got hot and humid today with a high of 77. Something had to give and it did with a tremendous rain storm that rained hard intermittently from 6pm and into the night. Waves were loud and crashing into the shore from the SE.
Aug 25: It is gray overcast this morning. Our temperature is 63 this morning which already matches yesterday's high as it warmed up during the night. The air is still. Lake Superior is still with a silver gray surface.
Aug 24: It was a low of 59 this morning after yesterday's high of 77. Today the high was only 63 with rain through most of the day and gray overcast skies the rest. It was a good soaking rain that will help with the dry conditions and reduce most fire danger. We took the day for the opportunity to go on a shopping trip to Duluth. The rain stayed with us all the way down the shore. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves against a gray sky that is just slightly lighter.
Aug 23: So far it is just like yesterday with clear blue skies and an overnight low of 59. The moon last night was a deep yellow high in the sky which indicates there must still be quite a bit of smoke in the air from the western fires even though the skies look clear. We have a brisk wind today which makes for good working weather outside. Superior still is a brilliant blue with slightly smaller 2-3ft waves from the south. Where the sun is reflecting off the lake it is a blinding silver and white.
Aug 22: Our low was 59 and our high was 76 today. There were clouds at times but most of the day we had blue skies. Those skies were reflected in a brilliant blue lake with waves that grew to 4 feet from the south. The whitecap crests were amazing and the pounding against the shore meant you had to yell for the person next to you to hear you.
Aug 21: Our low this morning was a comfortable 56 and our afternoon high was a comfortable 70. We had a couple isolated rains during the day. The afternoon popcorn shower came down hard for about 5-10 minutes and it was all done. We finally saw the sun for the first time in many days as the overcast from the humidity and western fires finally dissipated. Lake Superior was a shining blue green this afternoon with 2-3ft waves from the unusually oblique angle of the SW. Our guests from Nebraska were delighted to find ripe raspberries to pick. It reminded them of their childhoods.
Aug 20: It only cooled down to 64 last night which when combined with the high humidity made sleeping for us North Shorers a little difficult. Our guests, of course, had no idea what we are complaining about. Skies are a gray ovwecast this morning and light rain is coming down sporadically. I think this is the first rain we have had in almost 3 weeks. Lake Superior is a silver gray with brownish shadows and greenish highlights. It has 1-2ft roller waves from the SE.
Aug 19: Lots of fog and overcast skies today along Lake Superior. I could hear the fog horn much of the day from the Grand Marais harbor. Rain seemed imminent but never arrived. Lake Superior had peak 2ft waves from the SE in the afternoon but was more subdued on either side of this window. By afternoon the humidity was quite noticable by Grand Marais standards but our high was only 71.
Aug 18: We begin with 62 degrees this morning after an afternoon high yesterday of 72. The stillness of yesterday morning has returned with only ripples on the silver gray lake this morning. However, the lake stirred up rapidly yesterday peaking with 3-4ft waves from the ESE around noon. I thought for sure this was going to signal a change in our weather but then the lake began to calm down with only small waves by nightfall. The horizon this morning is a little lighter than the lake but hazy. The skies overhead have a purplish to pinkish overcast to them. The word is that this haze is from wildfires in the western states and provinces.
Aug 17: Overnight it got down only to 63 and didn't really cool down. I think that is because overcast skies moved in overnight trapping the heat in. The lake had 2ft rollers early yesterday evening. By the middle of the night the surface had reduced itself to just ripples and by this morning we now have a pinkish gray glass for the surface of Lake Superior. The air is still and I can't tell what sort of day is ahead.
Aug 16: The thermometer says it got to 79 degrees today but honestly it didn't feel that warm. Our low this morning was 58. Skies were mostly sunny and blue. Lake Superior had 2ft roller waves from the SE.
Aug 15: It got cold last night with a low of 55. Temps warmed into the low 70's. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be outside enjoying the lake with the low humidity and the roller waves breaking on the shore from the the south. The juneberries, gooseberries, and raspberries are now ready for picking.
Aug 14: The waves picked up last night. There were 2-3ft rollers from the south crashing into the shore. This morning we have hazy blue skies with a few clouds. Our overnight low was 63. The roller waves have subsided down to 2ft from the south. The air is still.
Aug 13: It got once again to 81 today in Croftville. It was perhaps the most humid day of the year. There was lots of haze partly due to the humidity and partly from the wildfires in the west. The result was no horizon to see today. Last night we stayed up and watched the Perseid meteor showers. The haze in the air was not severe enough to obsure the showers, we could even see the Milky Way overhead. Heavy fog showed up later in the afternoon.
Aug 12: Temps rose to 81 yesterday afternoon and got down to only 62 last night. It took a little time for things to cool off to make sleeping comfortable. Lake Superior has only ripples on it this morning. There is a white haze over the lake that obscures the horizon, There are no clouds in the sky but there does seem to be a slight dull haze everywhere, perhaps the result of wildfires to the west.
Aug 11: A front passed through during the night with high winds. But as far as I could see it included no significant clouds since I was able to see the stars until the early morning light. This morning the big lake is mostly calm wiht small textured waves from the SSW. There is plenty of blue skies, the air is still, and it is 65.
Aug 10: Today was a beautiful day along the shores of Lake Superior. Sunny and in the upper 70's. Lake Superior was almost glass except for the splashing of guests wading in the lake and the occasional wake of a passing recreational craft in her waters. Today we lost our beloved Paige as she passed away in the arms of Phil. Without the support of these beloved friends Croftville Road Cottages would have never become a realized dream. Aug 9: It was outright hot by next to the lake Grand Marais standards. We had a high of 77 which in the sun felt like 85 to my spolied body. I actually took a shower in the afternoon to cool off. I was, of coarse, covered with about a quarter inch of sawdust from head to toe. Things cooled off nicely as the sun got lower in the sky, but there was no need for covers during the night.
Aug 8: Our morning low was 55 and our high today was 69. There were bouts of rain and fog today here in Croftville. We couldn't see much of the gray horizon against the gray lake.
Aug 7: Our low this morning was 59. We have blue skies with a few small clouds after having light rain periodically through the night. There are low hanging clouds over the lake. Gitche Gumi has 1ft roller waves with a rippled surface from the SE. The lake is a light blue but becomes gray at the horizon.
Aug 6: It was warm overnight staying in the 60's all night. We have mostly cloudy skies today with the sun peaking out once in a while. Lake Superior is a silver gray with small indistinct waves. There is a gentle slightly warm breeze from the north coming off the hill. We are at 73 here at 2pm.
Aug 5: Boy, did it rain hard yesterday afternoon with a lightning storm during the night. Today we had some rain, too but it was a light rain and mist except for the deluge that came down in the late afternoon. Mostly today we had fog. I don't think we ever saw the horizon today and most of the time the lake was just a large white blanket covering your field of vision. Our high was in the upper 60's after a morning low of 49.
Aug 4: It is the Saturday of Fishermen's Picnic and there are people everywhere, even noticable traffic on the Croftville Road. It is overcast this morning and surprisingly dark. Temps are in the upper 50's. Lake Superior is a grayish silver with 1-2ft choppy waves from the SE.
Aug 3: It got down to 49 this morning but I understand that there were places in the arrowhead that were in the 30's. This is a case were our big cold lake the keeps us cooler than surounding areas was a big relatively warm lake that kept us warmer than the surrounding areas. We had plenty of sun today until late afternoon, but the high was only 69. Dark clouds rolled in and it looked like rain but all we got were sprinkles. Lake Superior also became dark gray and choppy with 2-3ft waves from the ESE.
Aug 2: It is a cold morning waking up to 51 degrees. Yesterday was all rain. Lake Superior was gray with waves building to 2-3ft from the SE. The folks in Duluth were out surfing at their favorite spots. This mornign we have clear blue skies overhead and to the north and west. To the south and east there is a dark cloud cover that not even the sunrise seemed to brighten up. Hopefully, these clouds are moving away from us.
Aug 1: Wow, August is here and fall is ony 1 month away. Last night the sky was lit up by lightning and rent by thunder. I am not sure how much rain we got, but it really came down steadily for a long time. This is good, the forest is getting really dry and there is a fire up near Seagull Lake in the BWCA. I hope the rain put it out, all appearances suggest it was started by an inattentive camper. This morning it is overcast and once again 58 degrees. The storm last night had the waves crashing but this morning they are more subdued with 1-2ft gray waves from the SE.
July 2018
July 31: We had a low of 58 and a high of 72 today down here by our lake. There was a good breeze and a blue lake with 1ft waves from the south reflecting the blue skies overhead. A guest came back from a walk with a handful of wild strawberries which seems a little late in the season for them. The wild raspberries are getting close to being ready to pick and blueberry picking is now into its 3rd week. Skies clouded up late in the day and it looks like we will get rain tonight.
July 30: There was a low of 58 and a high if 77 today along Lake Superior and the Croftville Road. We had partly cloudy skies overhead and a blue lake with small waves from the south.
July 29: There is a nice breeze on this mostly sunny day next to Lake Superior. The lake is a calm silvery blue with 6" small waves from the south. It was 62 this morning and climbed to 70 by noon but has now dropped back down to 65 at 2pm. These up and down fluctuations are quite normal on the Croftville Road. All it takes for a 20 degree change within a couple minutes is for the direction of the breeze to change from off to onto the lake.
July 28: It is a clear morning in Croftville. Last night we watched the full moon as it arched across the sky and reflected off the lake. The big lake is calm this morning with small roller waves from the south. Our morning low was 57 and it promises to be a beautiful cool day.
July 27: It was clear this morning but skies changed to overcast by mid morning and remained so for most of the day. It was cool out and we never even made it to 70 today. Lake Superior had a slightly textured surface but was mostly calm with small waves brushing the shore from the sout.
July 26: Lots of wind in Croftville today with some fairly powerful gusts at times. It stayed cool with a high of 72 today. We had a mixture of mostly cloudy skies and overcast skies today. Light rain fell for a good portion of the afternoon.
July 25: Lake Superior has a rough textured band about a half mile out on the lake this morning. It is quite distinct from the smooth blue surface with 1ft roller waves fromt the SE on either side of the band. There is just a faint breeze so I don't think that is the cause. I don't know what it is from. overhead are blue skies with a couple small cumulus clouds. It is a little cooler this morning. Yesterday was our warmest day this year in Croftville at 85 degrees. It got down to a comfortable 60 degrees last night.
July 24: This may be the warmest day down by the lake this year so far. It was already 70 at 9am and is 77 at noon. There are blue skys with small cottonball cumulus clouds drifting by with a NW breeze off the hill. We have a shimmering blue lake with 1-2ft waves from the south.
July 23: Surprisingly, we hit 81 degrees late yesterday afternoon which may be our warmest temp of the summer so far. Our low this morning is 61. There are partly cloudy high clouds. The air is still. The big lake is a pale blue with 6" roller waves from the SE brushing against the rocks. Our hummingbirds have returned after being gone for several weeks and there are ripe blueberries up on the Gunflint Trail.
July 22: We have mostly clear blusih skies today although the blue isn't quite as bright suggesting there may be a little overcast in the sky. It stayed warm overnight after a high yesterday of 77. Our morning low was 62 and we are at 72 at 3pm. There is a gentle wind mostly from the west. Lake Superior has 1ft blue gray roller waves from the SE with a textured surface. There are rumors out that blueberries are ready for picking on the Gunflint Trail. It seems a bit early to me but that did not stop Teresa from heading out with a neighbor to check things out.
July 21: It is a warm 64 this morning with gray overcast skies. There was a break in the overcast for a period last night when I woke up and could see all the stars and planets. Lake Superior is calm with a rippled bluish gray surface.
July 20: It rained lightly most of the day. When it was not raining we had lightly overcast skies. The big lake was a bluish gray with 1ft waves from the south. It was quite warm and muggy when we got up but once the rain started things cooled off and surprisingly seemed to get less humid. Our afternoon temps were in the mid 60's.
July 19: It got up to 79 degrees today in the late afternoon. It was a beautiful summer day on the North Shore with clear blue skies. There is a strong breeze and 1ft waves on a bright blue lake with navy shadows.
July 18: It is still 59 degrees at noon. There are clear blue skies overhead that are reflected in the sky blue lake with 1ft waves from the SSW. There is a small breeze but it is not clear what direction it is from. The temperature suggests that most of this breeze must be from Gitche Gumi.
July 17: It was windy, sunny, and cool today. I am sitting on our porch by the lake and it is 62 degrees at 7pm. The big lake was a spectacular blue today with small waves from the SSW. This is what a Minnesota summer day is supposed to look like.
July 16: It was a gusty day with 2-3ft waves and blue skies peppered with small white cumulus clouds. Lake Superior had a loud voice as it interacted with the shore. The lake was a brilliant blue with silver highlights and dark navy shadows. It got up to 73 today after beginning the day at 54.
July 15: It was humid by North Shore standards. We creeped all the way to 80 degrees which may be one of our first 80 degree days of the year. Lake Superior was pretty much glass today with on;y ripples breaking that smooth flat surface.
July 14: It was mostly sunny and warm today with a high of 79. Lake Superior was a deep blue with 1ft waves from the SSE. We have the first day in awhile with a crisp horizon line once the fog over the lake burned off theis morning. The low this morning was 56.
July 13: The sun finally won out over the fog this afternoon after another bout of rain and fog during the night and the morning. Temps managed to work their way into the low 70's after a morning low of 58. Lake Superior had a purplish line of fog obscuring the horizon.
July 12: It was quite the storm last night with lightning and heavy rain. Lake Superior was crashing into the shore with 4ft waves from the SSE. By morning the waves were down to 2-3ft and fog drifted onto the land limiting visibility. The sun tried to burn through during the day but in the end the fog proved to be too much for the July sun. Never got to see the lake today unless you were right next to it. Our low was 56 this morning and our high 66 this afternoon.
July 11: It was a warm day here along the shore with a high of 74. You could almost call it muggy, especially after our frequent rains. There was fog out over the lake once again and once again it drifted up on the shore at times.
July 10: It was a warm night, the temperature only got down to 63. The air was also still. We listened to the water brush against the shore. Every once in awhile, the waves would get larger from the wake of a boat passing by Croftville. This morning we have a purple colored fog out on the nearly calm lake. A breeze has picked up and we have the sky filled with high cirrus clouds.
July 9: It actually got hot late this afternoon. The warm wind coming off the hill warmed us into the lower 80's for the first time this year. As the sun set, we are quickly dropping back into the 60's for overnight. There was lots of sun and lots of 2 ft waves and noise from Lake Superior.
July 8: Wow, did it rain this morning. And if that wasn't enough, it rained heavy this afternoon and then again towards evening. The sky was almost black in the west this morning before the first storm hit. Visibility on the lake was pretty much nonexistant during the rain.
July 7: It was a beautiful July weekend day with sun and blue skies and a cool breeze. Lake Superior had small 6" blue waves undulating against the shore. Our low this morning was 52 and the high in the mid 70's.
July 6: There are clear blue skies and a shimmering blue lake with white highlights and navy shadows. There are 1ft waves once again from the SSW. Our morning low was a warm 56 today but at 2pm we are still only at 61. There is a breeze but the direction keeps changing. I am really enjoying the wild roses.
July 5: It is a beautiful summer day today after what seemed like fog and rain for many a day. There are clear blue skis overhead and that blue is being reflected off the lake with 1-2ft waves from the SSW with silver highlights. It is windy which keeps it comfortable outdoors. Our low was 53 this morning and I think we wil approach 80 later. I saw my first pink wild roses of the year today down by the lake.
July 4: Fog then rain followed by more fog and then more rain. Can't see the lake today, it's just one big white mass of fog. The only way you can see the lake is by sitting next to it on the rocks. The white fog drifted in to land and looked like smoke from a campfire started with wet wood except there was no campfire.
July 3: It was 51 this morning along the shore. At 3pm we have 63 degrees with overcast skies and bout of light rain. Lake Superior has 6" light gray waves that swish against the rocks. The lake melds into the light gray fog over the lake. Red Osier dogwoods are now fully in bloom.
July 2: It managed to climb to 70 today after a morning low of 49. There was a heavy rain during the night and everything was soaked this morning. Fog hung along the shore nearly all day leaving only occasional views of the lake. Most of the time Lake Superior was just a giant white screen.
July 1: July has come in with a steady and heavy at times rain that started around sunrise and has yet to stop as of 3pm. Our low this morning was 52 and our high so far today has only been 55. We have gray overcast skies, we have fog over the lake, and the lake is a still silver gray before it disappears into the fog. The lilacs are still in bloom as are the mountain ash on the shoreline. I can now see the red osier dogwood have started to bloom.
June 2018
June 30: It feels hot and humid by Grand Marais standards today, but it still only resulted in a high of 70 here next to the big lake. We have had sun and clouds today but it is the fog that tells the real story of our weather today as it drifts in for awhile and then rcedes for awhile bringin with it a moist coolness that replaces the sun's rays. Lake Superior began the day with 1ft waves from the SE but has calmed down as the day has past by. At 5pm we only have ripples gurgling against the shore.
June 29: We got up to 71 yesterday, which is the warmest temperature we have seen for several weeks. Overnight, we had 53 for a low. There is a good breeze out this morning, skies are overcast, and the sky over the lake is foggy. Lake Superior has 1ft blue green waves from the SE when the fog recedes enough to see any of it. There is a thunderstorm on the way for later this morning, we are watching it move across the state ion the radar.
June 28: We have a purple fog out near the horizon this morning. Lake Superior has small blue waves from the SSW. Overhead are clear blue skies and I can hear the birds chattering away. I watched a boat pass by a quarter mile from shore and then I watched its wake as it slowly made its way to the shore and flopping against the rocks.
June 27: Our low was 48 and our high was 64 today along the Croftville Road. Lake Superior has 6" to 1ft pale blue waves from the SSW. There is a fog over the lake that obscures the horizon. At times this white fog moves in and out from the shore limiting our visibility even more.
June 26: Once again our overnight low was a chilly 48 degrees. Skies are lightly overcast this morning. Lake Superior has a choppy silver green surface with olive shadows. Looking out at the forest it has finally reached its summer density with dark green foliage. We can no longer see our neighbor through the woods.
June 25: Lake Superior had 1-2ft blue gray waves from the SE today. Skies were mostly cloudy with a little sun. Our low and high were 48 and 66 which is exactly the same as yesterday. There was a steady cool breeze all day long.
June 24: The waves returned overnight. We had 2-3ft gray waves pounding the shore this morning. Skies were lightly overcast most of the day and it was cold, our morning low was 48 and we were still only 51 at noon. Temps recovered in the later afternoon to get us up to 66.
June 23: It is a quiet morning in Croftville. There is a fishing boat about a half mile off shore. Lake Superior has only ripples on its surface. It is a faint blue except for a dark thin horizontal band of navy near the horizon. Skies are covered with light clouds that look like they could burn away as the sun gets higher in the sky. Our low is 51.
June 22: Our low this morning was 48 and our high 68 this afternoon. We had partly cloudy skies with plenty of sun today. Lake Superior was still and there was a bit of a haze over the lake making the horizon partially obscured.
June 21: It is off to Duluth today for an unexpected shopping trip when wwe ran out of tile that I was positive we had. It's funny how often things you are positive about are simply false. There was plenty of sun and temps started in the 50's and climbed into the upper 60's as I traveled down the scenic byway to Duluth. I saw plenty of freighters as i got closer to Duluth and realized I miss seeing them in Grand Marais during the summer when they take a more southerly route across Lake Superior.
June 20: Lake Superior has been still today. There are lots of clouds and at times it is overcast which leaves the lake a dull blue gray. After a morning low of 53 we managed to get up to 76 this afternoon out of the lake breeze and only in the upper 50's in the lake breeze.
June 19: Our morning low was 53 this morning and we are now at 63 in the middle of the afternoon. We have partly cloudy skies with cirrus clouds. Lake Superior is a pale blue gray and placid. The juneberries are pretty much done blossoming now but the mountain ash, lupines, and lilacs are taking their place.
June 18: We had a high of 76 this afternoon after starting the day in the low 60's. There was a lot of haze in the air today. As we drove over to Virginia on the range we could see how saturated the ground is with the weekend rain. We also noticed that many trees on the borders of bogs are dying. I suspect that the normal water levels that have been absent for so many years are killing off trees that have encroached into the marsh territory.
June 17: Our morning low was 48 and we are up to 60 at noon. We have partly cloudy skies after intense fog this morning. There is still limited visibility out on the gray lake with small roller waves from the SE.
June 16: We had many bouts of rain today. Our high was only in the upper 50's. Visibility was limited on a gray overcast lake with 2ft waves from the SE.
June 15: We woke up to an intense thunderstorm this morning. Our overnight low was 55 and skies are dark. Timing the lightning strikes to thunder, lightning was within 2 miles during the peak of the storm. We have 2ft waves coming straight in from the SSE.
June 14: It actually warmed up to 83 yesterday. Grand Marais was the high temp for the state. It was a situation where the winds came off the hill all day so we didn't get any of the cool from the lake. The warmth did feel good but I have become a wimp for warm temps, I hope we don't see many 83 degree days anymore this summer. Today was beautiful and our high was in the mid 60's. Lake Superior was a brilliant blue with 1-2ft waves again from the SSW.
June 13: It only got into the high 50's yesterday but our morning temp was already in the low 50's when we got up today. It could be a warm day with temps in the 70's this afternoon. There are clear blue skies after the clouds cleared out during the night. Lake Superior is a deep blue with dark olive green shadows one its 1-2ft waves from the SSW.
June 12: It was 47 this morning but it felt much warmer. Clouds moved in overnight and skies this morning are about 75% covered. Lake Superior is a pale blue gray with 6" waves coming in from the SE. I can see two boats sitting about a half mile from shore. The one boat has been there each day for several days. Maybe they have found a favorite fishing hole.
June 11: It was another beautiful summer day here in Croftville. After beggining the day at 47 we warmed up to 70 by late afternoon. Lake Superior was a deep blue with 1-2ft waves from the south. Once again we had that white band just below the horizon. I think it is some sort of mirage with moisture rising off the lake. It seems that each day the green of the boreal forest becomes a little denser and a little darker as the foliage on the trees mature.
June 10: What a beautiful early summer day in Croftville. Blue skies with wisps of clouds were overhead. Our high was in the 60's and in the sun it felt warm. Away from the breeze off the lake you were warm also. But, if you were in the breeze it was quite chilly. Lake Superior was a steel blue with 2-3ft waves and a few whitecaps from the SE. The exception was a small light blue band near the horizon.
June 9: It was overcast all day with rain at times. Lake Superior was calm in the morning but had small 1ft waves and a highly textured surface later in the afternoon. The lake is a pale gray. Temperatures are in the low 60's. Our June berries are blooming right now.
June 8: Lake Superior is quiet this morning. There are only ripples on the surface. There are patches of perfectly still water which have a lighter blue hue than the main rippled surface. The air is still, so my guess is that these patches must have something to do with currents in the lake. I am struck by how green everything is, I am still not used to it and it surprises me every time I go outside. Our morning low was 48. With clear blue skies, this could be a sign that we may have a warm day.
June 7: It is a slightly hazy day, the haze isn't opague enough to block the sun from making shadows, but it is enough to meld together the lake and the sky at the horizon. There is a faint breeze off the lake keeping everything exposed to the lake cool. The low this morning was 45 and so far we have made it into the low 60's by mid-afternoon. The leaves have begun to mature on the trees and you can no longer see a long ways into the forest.
June 6: We started this morning at 44 degrees and temps have slowly risen all day. Rights now at 10pm we are at our high for the day at 64. The rain that was supposed to come turned from overcast skies to partly cloudy skies to clear blue skies. Lake Superior was mostly calm today with a deep blue surface once the skies cleared.
June 5: The day begins with a pale blue calm lake and 42 degrees. Our clear blue skies and the sounds of happy birds suggest it will be another beautiful day. I watched the half moon for awhile this morning as dawn approached.
June 4: It was a picture perfect spring day in Croftville. We had a high of 74 after a low of 53 this morning. Clear blue skies and a strong breeze kept you not too hot and not too cold. Lake Superior was almost black with just a hint of blue against a crisp white horizon line. We had 1-3ft waves coming today from the SSW after yesterday's ESE direction.
June 3: There was some rain. There was some sun. There was a lot of wind. And Lake Superior had large 3-4ft waves coming in from an olbique angel from the ESE crashing whitecaps into the shore.
June 2: It was rainy today. It was windy today. The wind was so strong we had to take down the placards on our sign to keep them from blowing into the road. Lake Superior was gray with roller waves. Our morning low was 43 and the afternoon high was in the lower 50's.
June 1: I guess this is the 1st of June but you wouldn't know it outside. Our morning low was 44 and at 3pm our high for the day is 47 so far. Skies are overcast and light gray and looks like it could rain any moment although we have not had a drop today. Lake Superior is a silver gray with 1-2ft waves from the SSE. The red osier dogwood are beginning to leaf out as well as the raspberries.
May 2018
May 31: We have mostly overcast skies today and we look on the verge of rain any minute even though none has fallen today. There are 1-2ft gray waves from the SSW. Overnight we were in the upper 40's and right now at 2:00pm it is still only 51 degrees here next to the lake in Croftville. In the fog this morning we saw fishermen placing nets not more than 100ft from our shore.
May 30: We have 56 this morning with partly cloudy cirrus clouds overhead. Lake Superior has small light blue waves from the south. A lightning and rainstorm hit around 9pm last night and continued into the eraly hours of the morning. It is the first hard rain storm I can remember from this spring and it felt good.
May 29: The morning low was 53 and the late afternoon high was 67 in Croftville today and it felt like heaven after the southern Minnesota heat over the weekend. This is the place to be. Lake Superior was a bluish black in the morning with 2-3ft waves and a few whitecaps from the south. By late afternoon it was a pale blue with a white haze at the horizon.
May 28: We traveled back away from the heat and to the cool of Lake Superior as we said goodbye to Saint Olaf College and our college graduate son, Joey. It was 83 when we left at 9am from Northfield. It was 91 as we passed through Minneapolis and it was 94 in Hinckley at noon. However, temps started to slowly fall and we were down to 80 entering Duluth. We dropped to 70 when we entered Cook County and Grand Marais was 68 at 5pm. It is so good to be home in Croftville with 65 degrees at 8pm.
May 27: Graduation Day in Northfield saw a blistering morning in the low 90's already for Bacculaureate at 9am and in the upper 90's in the afternoon. Slightly overcast skies for the 3 hours leading to Commencement helped keep the temperature down a little but mostly got rid of the direct sun as people and graduate candidates assembled. The sun came out for Commencement and was brutal for those in the direct sun. However, for those of us in the shade drinking water bottles supplied by the college and feeling the mracle of a small breeze, it was surprisingly pleasant. Up here in Grand Marais, the morning low was 44 and the afternoon high was 71. What a different world.
May 26: We are in SE Minnesota this weekend for our son's college graduation. Driving down yesterday we had 49 in Lutsen and by the time we got outside Two Harbors it was 88. Minneapolis was still 88 when we got there at 8pm. Today, it was in the 90's before noon and absolutely suffocating as we watchd a band/choir/orchestra concert in an "air conditioned" Skoglund Center. In the meantime, Croftville had a high of 70 next to Lake Superior.
May 25: Fog, lots of fog this morning. Our low was 48 and we can see the sun trying to burn the fog off. Lake Superior is light gray with a hint of green and calm that disappears seamlessly into a white mist. Leaves are continuing to come out on the aspens and birch as the shore is becoming greener with each passing day.
May 24: There is a light hazy overcast this morning. There is still enough sun getting through to make shadows. The morning low was 48 and there is humidity in the air. The trees are still with no noticable wind. The aspens and birch are now forming small leaves on their branches. Lake Superior is a still pale blue with no discernable horizon line as it seamlessly joins with the sky.
May 23: The low this morning was 44 and we had a high of 68. There were clear blue skies and a clear blue lake with only small waves from the south on the big lake.
May 22: Our temps ranged from 44-58 today here along the lake. Which end of the spectrum you were on depended on whether the breeze was coming onto the lake or coming off of the lake. Skies were mostly clear and Lake Superiors samll 6" to 1ft blue waves were coming in from the south.
May 21: We woke up to a warm 40 degrees this morning in Croftville. Lake Superior is mostly calm with only ripples for waves from the south. You can see all the rocks in the lakebed. We saw our first hummingbird yesterday, another sign of spring. It is funny that we can see the difference in the budding of the trees from the shore to up above by the highway.
May 20: Lake Superior is silver blue with dark olive shadows on the 2ft waves from the SSW. There was frost on the rooftops with the morning low of 36. However, the sun has warmed things up nicely this early afternoon when we hit a high of 65. As the breeze changes direction so does the temps from the low 50's to the mid 60's within minutes.
May 19: The budding on the aspens and birch next to Lake Superior is much more noticable today. Leaves for these trees will not be far away. It is 48 this morning with overcast skies. We had a little rain overnight along with a power outage. About 30 clocks and appliances to reset which is a pain. Lake Superior is silver with 6" waves from the SSE. Our local fox was outside again last night barking.
May 18: Some of our birch and aspen are now budding down here along the shore. I have been watching the Sawtooth Mountains and have noticed the pale green of new leaves showing up on the aspen and birch for the last 4 days, but until today I had not even seen buds down here next to the lake. We are usually about a week behind the Sawtooth Mountains leafing out. Our low this morning was 42 and our high was 63.
May 17: It was chilly at 38 this morning but temps warmed up into the upper 50's this afternoon. Lake Superior had choppy 2ft blue gray waves from the SE.
May 16: We have mostly cloudy skies today with the sun peaking out at times. The morning low was 38 and our afternoon high was 60. It was quite a beautiful day after starting with overcast skies and a light rain this morning. The sliver and navy 1-2ft waves are from the SE. The breeze is light cold when it comes off the lake.
May 15: There are clear pale blue skies over a silver blue lake today. We started the day at 42 and at 3pm we are only 48. I've talked about that once the sun gets high enough in the sky the cold air masses of winter cannot win. However, it doesn't matter how high the sun is in the sky, against a gentle breeze off our big cold lake, the sun will lose every time. Superior has 1-2ft waves from the SE on a highly textured surface.
May 14: It was a beautiful partly cloudy day today along Lake Superior. The big lake was a light blue and mostly calm. Our temps ranged from 40 to 60. We watched an otter swim by the shore today.
May 13: Croftville boasted a high of 63 today but we didn't get back in time to see it. It was surprisingly warm as we made our way back from southern Minnesota during the last hours of the day. It was still 62 in Hinckley at 8pm, 58 in Duluth at 10pm, and 46 when we rolled into Grand Marais after midnight.
May 12: It was a morning low of 32 this morning in Croftville but we are in southern Minnesota watching a college track meet at Carleton College in Northfield. It was cool in southern Minnesota as well but not to the same extent. It is amazing to see all the trees leafed out already. No trees are even budding in Croftville yet. By the time we got to Duluth some of the aspens were just beginning to leaf out.
May 11: It was only 30 degrees this morning in Croftville. We have blue skies with some wispy cirrus clouds. Lake Superior has a faint blue textured surface. The rain from the last couple days are having an immediate effect on the grass turning lawns green. The dogwoods are finally budding but are behind the gooseberries and the pussy willows.
May 10: Clear blue skies have returned over Lake Superior. There are strong gusty winds this morning. Lake Superior is a deep blue with 1ft waves from the south and sprakling reflections of the sun off the crests. It is cold with only 46 degrees at noon after a morning low of 37.
May 9: It was raining when we got up and kept moderately raining until the late afternoon. The lake has 2-3ft gray waves from the SSE. At times the visibility out on the lake was limited to a couple miles and the horizon was not visible all day long. It was a cold rain. We did not see temps get past the mid 40's.
May 8: Fog began to form out over the lake this morning. Before long is was enveloping the shore. By mid afternoon the rain started. Visibility out on the lake was quite limited msot of the day. Our high was 51 after a mornign low of 39.
May 7: There is evidence of small ice chunks about 100 yards off shore this morning. With the water so cold, it can still form ice during the night if the surface is still enough. It is funny to think that the air temp might be above freezing and the big lake can still form ice. We had 37 this morning outside the inn and it was probably a few degrees cooler down on the water. Lake Superior has just ripples for waves from the south, just enough to hear the water sloshing against the rocks. I also noticed that the gooseberries are starting to leaf out as signs of spring are showing up.
May 6: The lake once again had this haze that started forming over it in the morning and then never completely burned off turning our afternoon cooler than midday. Our high around noon was 57 with the morning low of 42. Lake Superior was mostly calm and pale blue. A small breeze coming off the lake woke you up to just how cold that big body of water is.
May 5: It started warm this morning. There were ducks and loons swimming around the calm Lake Superior. We cold see all the rocks on the lake bed. It was in the 50's by 8am and the 60's by 10am and then things started cooling off. The first thing we noticed was a haze and then a fog over the lake. As the fog grew the temperature began to fall back into the low 50's where it stayed all afternoon.
May 4: It was a remarkable day today temperature-wise. We began at 33 and we had a high of 74. Just 3 days ago we had our first 60 degree day and now we have had our first 70 degree day. For next to lake, 74 is a warm summer day here in Croftville. It was so nice to be outside in short sleeves and gazing out at the blue lake refelecting a partly cloudy sky.
May 3: Again we had a morning low of 33 and at 3pm it looks like we will just be just short of 50 degrees for today. Now that Teresa is watching for them she is seeing lots of loons out on Lake Superior. We had some rain sprinkles this morning to go along with the overcast skies but the sprinkles ended and the skies opened up to partly cloudy skies. Lake Superior is a silver blue with navy shadows on its textured surface.
May 2: Teresa counted 20 loons in front of our place on Lake Superior today all grouped pretty close together. This is pretty unusual but understandable. Most to all of the inland lakes that the loons call home for the summer are still iced up. As they come north the only open body of water they can land and take off from right now is Lake Superior. I suspect that as ice goes out of the inland lakes the usually solitary loons will leave Lake Superior to enjoy their more private accomodations. The low this morning was 33 and the high was 50. We had overcast skies and almost a fog for most of the day with visibility limted to a half mile or so out on the lake.
May 1: Today was our first 60 degree day since October. It was 66 after a morning low of 39 this morning. The rain never came as predicted and the lightly overcast skies were clear by noon. The strong warm wind made you conscious about standing outside. The gusts could knock you off your feet if you were not paying attention. Lake Superior stayed surprising calm with just 6" to 1 foot roller waves from the south and a blue textured surface.
April 2018
Apr 30: April closes with an overcast day and occasional light rain. The big lake is mostly still and a pale grayish blue. It is good to smell the rain, it is so different from the feel of frozen precipitation. Our low this morning was 44 and with the overcast skies I suspect our temps will stay in the upper 40's all day long.
Apr 29: Lake Superior was perfectly still this morning. You could see every rock on the lake bed for more than 100ft out. The moon last night was nearly full and lit up the lake. After a morning low if 26 we skyrocketed to 50 in the late afternoon.
Apr 28: Croftville had a low of 30 and a high of 47 today. Skies were clear. Lake Superior had 6" pale blue waves from the SE. It now feels like spring with a few winter days mixed in here and there rather than the other way around.
Apr 27: And just like that it feels as winter has returned. The morning low was 34 and there were snow flurries when I got up. The high was a whopping 39 today and it is supposed to be cold again tonight and then the warmth is coming back tomorrow. I heard that Two Harbors got 3-7 inches of snow today. I am thankful it missed us. My daughter thought it would rain today but that never happened either. She missed our first brief rain yesterday and is still waiting for the her first rain since last October or November.
Apr 26: And the warmest day of the year is back. Today we hit 58 in Croftville. Lake Superior has small silver and blue waves from the SSW. Skies are partly cloudy and for a few moments today we had rain. I think the last time it rained was in October or early November. It was a neat feeling, even though brief, to have rain come down instead of snow, ice, or sleet. Last night we had our fox back barking at our cat. I think he was being playful but our cat did not seem to be in a playful mood. He ran off when I came out to see if she was all right.
Apr 25: It was a bit colder this morning at 30. However, the skies are clear and the sun is warming things up. Lake Superior only has ripples on the surface. It is a silver blue near the shore followed by a band of almost white and the changing to a dark band of periwinkle near the horizon. The crisp horizon line turns into a white sky. There are lots of ducks swimming along the shore this morning. Two of them were determined to go in different directions than the rest of the pack.
Apr 24: Wow! 55 degrees today here by the lake. Lake Superior is still mostly calm, pale blue, and with just ripples on the surface. We did have overcast skies during midday but skies cleared in the midafternoon. The snow continues to recede. Peole are telling me that the cascading rivers and the waterfalls are becoming spectacular with the melting snow.
Apr 23: After days and days of a completely still Lake Superior this afternoon we can start to hear the rustling of the water against the shore. Lake Superior is still mostly still and a pale blue but there is a little movement. Last night I saw the most remarkable sight. The moon had already set and the stars were reflecting off the completely still lake. You could see the star reflections dotting the surface of the lake. Last night we had 31 degrees and this afternoon we are all the way up to 53, the warmest temperature we have seen by the lake this spring.
Apr 22: It is another glassy still day on Lake Superior. We have a pale blue lake that turns to a light purple on the horizon line. Skies are clear but have a slight haze that slightly obscures the sun even though we have distinct shadow lines. It got down to 31 this morning and looks like we will once again be close to 50 a little later this afternoon. The lake is still cold enough to quickly form sheets of thin ice when the water is still like today. The loss of snow here along the shore is now quite noticable.
Apr 21: What a gorgeous spring day. We woke up to 32 degrees, a still Lake Superior, and huge sheets of thin ice that had formed overnight. By this afternoon we were flirting with 50 degrees, sun, and clear blue skies. Lake Superior has been a flat pale blue all day long.
Apr 20: Lake Superior was completely still this morning. Every rock on the lake bed could be seen for 100ft from shore. Even though the morning low was only 34, there was visible thin ice sheets that had formed on the still surface. Skies are lightly overcast with the sun burning through the light fog. It hit 51 late yesterday afternoon and it looks like we will get close to 50 still today. Right now it is 45 at 2pm.
Apr 19: It is 40 degrees at 11am with blue skies and sun. I bet we will hit 50 today. Lake Superior is a silver blue with navy shadows and small waves from the SSW. Most of our snow on the southern sides of buildings is now gone but there are still huge piles on the north sides and in the woods.
Apr 18: We had a morning low of 23 and an afternoon high of 48. I can't recall the last time it got near 50 but I bet it hasn't been this warm since last fall. The sun is now so high in the sky that even winter air masses can't stop it from warming things up if skies are clear. Lake Superior was a deep blue and we saw sevral freighters passing by both during the night and the day. Some were close in and others out near the horizon. With better weather on the way we may begin to see less of the ore freighters as they choose a more southerly route across Lake Superior. Southern Minnesota had another winter storm pass through today so it was nothern Minnesota with the sun and warm temps.
Apr 17: The snow came back late yesterday afternoon and we got another 1/2" accumulation. Temps are warming up today quickly and we should see the upper 30's or even low 40's today. Skies are partly cloudy and Lake Superior is a subdued blue gray.
Apr 16: The snow is done. We ended up with 2-3inches in total accumulation. Warm temps predicted beginning tomorrow should make this snow go away. In the meantime, it is not enough to get me to shovel. We will live with the white for today. Right now it is 22 with a high expected around 32. Lake Superior is gray with 2-3ft roller waves from the SE.
Apr 15: It snowed through the night and snowed all day long. Not much accumulation, maybe 2-3 inches of snow all day. The winds are impressive making the snow move mostly horizontal. The winds have also churned up the SE waves. Waves are a greenish gray and 5-7ft as they smash the shore.
Apr 14: Most of Minnesota has been in blizzard conditions today but for us in the arrowhead snow did not begin until late afternoon. The waves on Lake Superior have been impressive from the SE. I would say 4-6ft greenish waves most of the day against the gray overcast skies.
Apr 13: The winds are expected to pick up this afternoon and are the waves. Right now we have overcast skies and 3-5ft greenish gray waves from the SE.
Apr 12: The cold is back after a high of 48 yesterday. It doesn't look like we will see freezing today. Skies are a white overcast and Lake Superior has large 3-4ft waves from the SSE and SE. The warm temps yesterday melted the last of the winter snow pack on the cottage roofs.
Apr 11: Happy Birthday Joey and Greg. Our son is 22 years old today. Lake Superior is a bright blue with 1-2ft waves from the south against a white horizon line. Overhead are blue skies with white puffy cumulus clouds dotting the sky. We began the day at 28 and a dusting of fresh snow and will peak out in the mid 40's this afternoon.
Apr 10: It stayed pretty warm last night getting down only to 30 degrees. Skies are clear but seem to be a bit hazy. Lake Superior has long 1ft roller waves from the south. The surface is textured and a bluish gray against a white horizon.
Apr 9: It felt like spring outside today for the first time since the vernal equinox. There was a high 43 after a low of 20 in the morning. There is lots of sun and a brilliant blue textured lake to gaze upon.
Apr 8: All of the state of Minnesota is getting snow today except here in the Northeast. The cold continues with a low this morning of 14. The bright sun in clear skies warmed things up here by the lake to 38. Lake Superior has a highly textured blue, silver, and navy surface without any noticable wavefronts. I know it is spring but winter is still playing its trcks on us.
Apr 7: The low this morning is once again 12. Lake Superior is a silver blue with navy shadows with 1-2ft waves from the south. We have clear blue skies this morning and a white horizon against the brilliant blue lake. With all the sun I can't help but believe that temps should rise up to freezing.
Apr 6: The wind off the hill and onto the lake was relentless today. It was so strong that it blew all our placards off the sign and into the road. I hadn't seen that before. Watching these powerful gusts of wind hit the surface of the lake and then fragment over the surface was entertaining. It was also quite cold with a morning low of 12. Skies were partly cloudy and the bracing wind finally subsided un the evening.
Apr 5: It was a cold day. Morning low was 14 and the afternoon high was only 22. It is spring, right? Lake Superior was mostly calm and a brilliant blue with sunny skies.
Apr 4: We had a low of 20 and a high of 37 today. There was plenty of sun but it takes so long to warm up. We watched several ore freighters pass by in the night and during the day. Most of the freighters are taking the more northerly route so we get to see most of them.
Apr 3: We had a low this morning of 20 and a high of 29. There were snow flurries up here on the Arrowhead while most of the rest of the state is engulfed in a spring snowstorm. Lightly ovecast skies kept the big lake gray with 1-2ft roller waves from the SE.
Apr 2: A little warmer this morning but a little cooler this afternoon compared to yesterday. Looks like we will just barely reach freezing today with the overcast and mildly gray skies. Lake Superior si subdued and gray against a white horizon line.
Apr 1: We welcome April and Easter with a strong wind, cooler than normal temps, and sunny blue skies. Our low this morning was 11 with an afternoon high of 35. The wind was strong enough at times to knock you off your feet. It was engaging watching the whitecaps curl over on themselves with the deep blue waves from the SSW.
March 2018
Mar 31: It is another cold spring day with clear blue skies, lots of sun, a brisk breeze, and a shimmering deep blue lake. The morning low was 16 and we will end up with a high only in the mid to upper 20's today. Light snow passed through last night obscuring the almost full moon. However, this morning was little more than a dusting of accumulation.
Mar 30: Got down to 14 this morning and it doesn't appear we will get past 25 today in spite of the clear blue skies. Lake Superior has 1-2ft steel blue waves from the SSW with blinding reflections off the lake surface.
Mar 29: We had a low this morning of 28 and a high of 41 today. Most of the ice chunks are completely gone today except a handful of chunks right next to the shore. It is strange for the ice to disappear when the lake has been so calm. I always think it requires wave action to change the face of this big lake but more subtle forces can have just as large an effect.
Mar 28: The ice jam started pulling away from shore during the evening. By morning it looked like the arctic sea with chunks of thick ice from the size of a softball diamond down to small thick chunks were spread out as far as you could see. All this movement and yet no discernable wave action moving this ice around. By late afternoon we saw the first bit of small waves undulating through the ice and water. The high this afternoon was 44 after a low this morning of 30.
Mar 27: We woke up to 3" of wet slushy snow. It was pretty wet considering that our low this morning was 33 degrees. Our high this afternoon was 43 and the sun dispensed with all the fresh snow without me even picking up a snow shovel. Thank you sun! There is an ice jam for about the first half mile from shore. The fresh snow really makes it stand out from the open water further out.
Mar 26: I woke up to even more ice pushed against the shore. Open water this morning is about a half mile out. Skies are lightly overcast and the light snow they have been predicting all day finally began to drop about 8pm. The high today was 37 and it is still 33 at 9pm.
Mar 25: Happy Palm Sunday! There is lots of sun today and temps warmed up to 38. It was a beautiful day as we watched remnant of thicker ice flows wash into the shore. The ice locked together and appears to begin freezing together for about the first quarter mile from shore. One remnant after another added to the ice that is accumulating along the shore.
Mar 24: We got up early to go to a track meet in Superior, Wisconsin this morning. It was fun driving down the shore as the sun came up in reds and oranges behind us. The morning temp was 23 and it never warmed up much above freezing today. There was plenty of sun but it was offset by a very cold and chilling wind. There was not much ice on the Lake as we approached Duluth. I was expecting more after hearing the trouble the fist ore freighters had a couple days ago.
Mar 23: The morning started with a calm and silent lake. However, it was clear after sunrise that there were sheets of thin ice heading for the shore slowly. Next the krinkling sound of ice breaking and the pieces stacking up on shore began. That noise became quite loud at times. Then another round of ice came toward shore just as 1-2ft waves began. Before long the lake near the shore was an ice slurry going up and down in the waves. Our low this morning was was 19 once again and our high once again 41 with plenty of sun.
Mar 22: Lake Superior was calm all day today. It was pure glass this morning. Thin ice sheets flowed in this afternoon and there were patches of ice and patches of open water again by evening. The orange sunrise was surrounded by low hanging purple cloud cover at the horizon. I was told it was below zero up the hill this morning but we had a low of 19 here along the shore. The sun warmed things up to 41 this afternoon.
Mar 21: It may now be spring but the weather conditions continue as they have for the last week. We had an overnight low of 21 and the high is heading to right around freezing this afternoon. We have partly cloudy skies with plenty of sun. Lake Superior has silver gray 1-2ft waves from the SE. The first freighter leaving Duluth harbor for the season yesterday got trapped by ice before it got to Two Harbors. In spite of this, there is no ice to be seen here out on the big lake.
Mar 20: There was a reddish orange sunrise this morning in the east. The rest of the sky is slightly overcast but not overcast enough to stop the sun from casting a shadow. Lake Superior is a light blue green with 1-2ft waves coming straight in from the SSE. Our morning low was 19 and we are up to 25 at noon. The sun is strong enough to soften and melt the snow even if we do not get an air temp up to freezing.
Mar 19: We have overcast skies moving in from the west turning from purple to gray this morning. We had an orange sunrise in the east. Lake Superior has 2-3ft greenish waves from the SE. Overnight lows were in the teens and temps have climbed into the upper 20's by noon.
Mar 18: Lake Superior looked like liquid metal today. There were 2-4ft waves from the SSW with isolated whitecaps. The color of the water was a bluish black against the sky blue skies. Our low this morning was in the lower 20's and the afternoon high was in the upper 30's.
Mar 17: What a gorgeous almost spring day. We had a high of 43 and lots of melting after the overnight lows in the teens and the refreezing of yesterday's melting snow. Things cooled off quickly near sunset. Lake Superior was mostly calm today with small waves from the SE and patches of ice that could be seen this morning.
Mar 16: The clear skies allowed temps to plummet down to 14 overnight but we have clear skies still and temps are rising quickly once again. Lake Superior is still. The areas of open water are a pale blue. The area of broken ice have a rough surface and are a much darker navy blue. There was a beautiful orabge sunrise over the lake.
Mar 15: The big lake was a dark blue and almost metallic looking this afternoon. We have small waves from the south and clear blue skies all day. It really cooled off last night for a morning low of 14 but the bright sun took over with an afternoon high of 44 degrees. The snow continues to melt down here next to the lake but the runoff water continues to refreeze each evening.
Mar 14: Gitche Gumi has 3ft smooth roller waves from the south this morning. The surface is a silver blue with deep blue shadows. There are clear blue skies and after a low this morning of 19 it is quickly warming up. We will probably be in the 40's this afternoon.
Mar 13: There was a low of 22 and a high of 33 today. Skies were partly cloudy and at times overcast. Lake Superior was a blusih gray with patches of thin ice this morning which disappeared when 1-2ft waves picked up in the afternoon. By sunset, the big lake had 2-3ft roller waves from the SSE.
Mar 12: There was a low of 21 and a high of 41 today. The warm weather and sun felt so good. The ice disappeared this morning and we were left with a blue lake and 2ft waves from the SE. The ground was soggy with melting snow runoff.
Mar 11: Lake Superior is a deep blue away from the shore. Near the shore for the first half mile we have a lighter bluish gray sheet of thin ice with patches of open water. It was fun watching the sun coming up and ghradually replace the crescent moon as the brightest light source in the sky. Our morning temp is 20 degrees. We have clear blue skies except for a purple cloud mass to the west.
Mar 10: After beginning with 20 degrees this morning we shot up to 38 this afternoon. Plenty of sun and lots of blue skies. In spite of the warm temps, the lake maintained a thin ice sheet near the shore. With the lake cooled down to freezing and in the absence of wind and waves, it doesn't take much to mainitain an ice sheet near the shore.
Mar 9: There were overcast skies most of the day. Our low was 16 and our high 34. Lake Superior had a mostly in tact thin ice sheet for at least the first mile out from shore this today. There were patches of open water and in some cases it looked like there was a thin layer of water sitting on top of the ice. next to the shore there are thick chunks of ice imbedded in the thin ice sheets.
Mar 8: We had a low of 14 and a high of 33 today. Lake Superior had a glass smooth surface this morning with chunks of ice interspersed and sticking out of the water. I thought the surface might have a thin layer of ice on it but most of the glass surface was just still water.
Mar 7: The waves picked up yesterday afternoon and the lake looked like liquid silver. Eventually, the ice shelf that we had seen a ways out came into the shore and was broken chunks of thick ice. This morning all but the largest chunks are gone but the lake for the first mile is like glass with a fresh coat of thin ice. Overhead we have partly cloudy skies and our low this morning is a chilly 13 degrees.
Mar 6: There are small ice chunks that are moving in our 1-2ft blue waves from the SE this morning. There is also a white ice shelf sitting about a quarter mile from shore and perhaps a couple hundred yards deep. The morning low was 21 and in spite of the sun, things are not warming up much yet with 24 degrees at noon.
Mar 5: It got windy overnight. Our morning low was 31. There was a brilliant red moonrise last night followed by a brilliant red sunrise this morning before the sun rose behind a cloudbank. It looks like the lightly overcast skies will soon burn off. Lake Superior is a deep blue with dark olive shadows and 1-2ft waves from the SE.
Mar 4: Skies were lightly overcast today with the big lake having a blue gray surface and small 1-2ft waves coming in straight from the SSE. Our morning low was 28 and our high was 34 degrees. Looks like we will mostly miss the winter storm that most the rest of Minnesota will see moving in tohight.
Mar 3: It was a snow melting day here in Croftville with an afternoon high of 40 and plenty of sun. Melted water ran into my canvas shed combining with the sawdust to create about a 4" deep slurry with the consistency of oatmeal as we tried to build our fireplace mantels. Lake Superior was a dazzling blue with small waves from the south.
Mar 2: There was plenty of sun, plenty of melting snow, and a high in the upper 30's today. Lake Superior had small 1ft grayish blue waves today.
Mar 1: We welcomed March with an ovecast sky. The sun tried to get out but didn't succeed. However, the nearly full moon finally pushed the clouds out of its way and shone brightly in the night sky. Our high was only 33 after a low of 22. We watched shelves and patches of ice move in and out from the shore yesterday. The lake was mostly calm with a textured surface anywhere where the ice was not.
February 2018
Feb 28: It was another stunning sunny day. We had a high of 40 with a low of 26. The big lake was a bright blue with navy shadows on its textured surface. There was no visible sign of ice today. The sun was busy trying to melt all the new snow from last week. It made some progress on the roofs and roadways.
Feb 27: It was a beautiful sunny day in Croftville. Lake Superior had a blue textured surface with navy shadows. What I think is an ice shelf can be seen several miles out near the horizon. Our low was 25 this morning with the high a whopping 40 degrees. You could really feel the strength and warmth of the sun as it climbs higher and higher into the sky.
Feb 26: We had a low this morning of 16 but it has warmed up to 31 by noon. I spent the morning finishing the snow removal. This afternoon I am going to relax and watch the lake. Right now it is a greenish gray with 2ft waves from the SSW. Overhead there are dark clouds but on the other side of the lake it must be clear because the horizon is light and bright. Maybe that sunshine will make it our way.
Feb 25: The snow started coming down in buckets just after 10pm. It snowed heavy all night finally letting up about 7am. When all done we had 12" of fresh, fluffy, and heavy snow. The snowplows came through just after 6am burying our driveways and the vehicles in them. As my grampa would say, "Wow, wow, wow, there is snow everywhere." It was back breaking work to get some of it cleared. The rest will have to wait for tomorrow. The sun tried to come out several times but it was still enough to get the temps up to 34 degrees. This made our task in the afternoon even harder when the snow began to stick to the shovels. Lake Superior started the day still and dark but winds picked up late in the morning generating 3-4ft waves by nightfall that had broken up all the ice.
Feb 24: There was a morning low of 15 and an afternoon high of 30. The lake was glass almost all day long. There were patches of ice in the still water that sometimes would krinkle as they pushed into the shore. Blue skies this morning made it an amazing morning to be outdoors. Cloud cover started forming around 1pm and then got darker and lower in the sky. After dark the waves started picking up. They are telling us that we should have heavy snow all night but so far at 10pm there is no snow yet.
Feb 23: We woke up to 4" of fresh snow and by the time it stopped around 10am we had added another 2". Shoveled all morning and finished by 2pm thanks to help from my wife and my brother-in-law. Now we are ready for the next round which is to begin tomorrow night. The sun almost poked out its head a couple times this afternoon but never quite made it. We did see patches of blue sky. Lake Superior is still today and we watched patches of ice move in and out from the shore throught the dark blue and almost black water. We started the day at 24 and peaked out at 38 this afternoon.
Feb 22: Things really cooled aff last night with temps dropping to 3 degrees here along the shore. There are signs of ice patches on the lake this morning with a dark gray almost black surface against the clear blue skies. The sun is now just too strong and high in the sky to be ignored anymore, it warmed the air to the lower 30's this aftrenoon. There is talke of another heavy snowfall tonight. My back hopes it is only just talk.
Feb 21: It was a beautiful day outside today with clear blue skies and a bright blue Lake Superior with 1-2ft waves. We had teens in the morning and mid 20's in the afternoon.
Feb 20: It is snowing again this morning. They are saying we should only get an inch of accumulation but I think we already have an inch and it doesn't show any signs of stopping. After shoveling out all day yesterday it is disheartening to see new snow covering up all that back breaking work. It is 10 degrees this morning. Lake Superior has a textured blue gray surface with 1-2ft waves from the SSE.
Feb 19: It was 8 degrees this morning and we had a 14 degree afternoon high. The order of the day was shoveling out. Gusty winds in the morning gave you a face full of snow if you released your shovel's contents at the wrong time in the wrong direction. The snow plows didn't come down Croftville Road until 6:30am. We had 4 guests checking out, so the first order of business was shoveling them out. Even with the help of my daughter and with a 1 hour shoveling session last night, it still took all day to clear out the huge amount of new snow. Lake Superior had 2-3ft blue green waves from the south.
Feb 18: It began snowing during Sunday Morning worship. It snowed hard all day long and finally tapered off around 7pm. When it ended I would say we had 8-10 new inches blanketing the ground and the old snow cover. It was coming down so hard that it made no sense to go out and start shoveling. Instead we just enjoyed the snowstorm and warmed ourselves by the fireplace. The fresh blanket of snow gives you a sense of cleaness over the landscape. Lake Superior was gray with 3-4ft waves from the SSW. Temps for the day stayed in the teens.
Feb 17: It was another cold day with a low of 1 below and a high of 20. Lake Superior was loud and the wind was loud and sometimes whistled through the double-hung windows. Lake Superior had 3-5ft waves and whitecaps from the SSW.
Feb 16: It was cold again this morning. We started at 2 below and then temps rose gradually through the day reaching 20 by nightfall. There is a brisk wind and waves grew all day on Superior. By the afternoon the lake was blue green with whitecaps and 3-5ft waves.
Feb 15: Skies are a gray overcast. A dusting of snow fell overnight. The temperature this morning is 31. Lake Superior is mostly calm and a greenish gray. I can see patches of ice floating just beneath the surface. They must have broke off from a larger sheet of ice further out. They say that the 31 degrees wil be our high for the day as temperatures drop all day long.
Feb 14: We had a low of 24 and a high of 37 down next to Lake Superior today. There was plenty of sun and the lake had 2-3ft silver and blue waves from the SSW. There was a purple cloud mass over the lake at sunrise. This blocked the sun for awhile. When the sun finally pooped through a break in these clouds it was a brilliant orange red and reflected this light off the crests of the waves.
Feb 13: The below zero morning streak ended this morning. It was 3 degrees when I went to bed last night and I thought here we go again. But to my surprise, temps gradually rose overnight and it was 14 when I got up. Then the temps kept rising with 20 degrees by noon and now 29 degrees at 9pm. And all of this happened with no sun and a light dusting of snow throughout the day. Lake Superior had 1-2ft blue green waves from the SSW this morning but the strong winds today kept growing those waves and by sunset we had 3-5ft blue green waves with whitecaps everywhere. Our wind chimes are still clanging and the waves in the black night are roaring.
Feb 12: The below zero streak is still intact with 3 below this morning. The waning crescent moon rose late this morning at about 4am. We could tell by the stars that we are going to have clear skies and that is what we have. Lake Superior has 1-2ft greenish blue waves with navy shadows from the SSW.
Feb 11: Skies are overcast this morning. We have light snow coming down with less than an inch accumulation by the time it quits around noon. I can see the white sheet of ice out on the lake maybe a mile out, however, locser to shore we have open water with small waves rom the SE. The low this morning is still 2 below. Our afternoon high eecked up to 13 above but with the humidity it felt cold outside.
Feb 10: It was another cold morning in a string of below zero mornings that seems to have gone on now for 2 weeks. Our low was 3 below but the higher brighter sun managed to get us up to 21 this afternoon. Could our cold streak be coming to an end? Lake Superior was still today and you can see patches of ice on the flat surface of the lake. The ice sometimes gets pushed toward shore and the next time you look it is receding. I can see a white line near the horizon which usually is an indication of a large ice sheet out on the lake.
Feb 9: Lake Superior is still this morning. I can see the white ice out about a mile from the shore. Closer in, we have open water with patches of sheet ice and patches of broken up ice cubes. The patches of thin sheet ice are calm and like glass. The patches of broken ice look highly textured with the sun reflecting off the small ice chunks. It is cold again with 4 below as the sun is coming up in clear blue skies.
Feb 8: Yikes, all the way down to 11 below last night as our cold continues. The clear blue skies and the sun now higher in the sky let things warm up to 18 degrees before the sun setting set temps plummeting once again. Superior was still in spite of a bracing early morning wind. You can see solid ice out away from the shore but for the first half mile there are just patches of thin ice in the open water.
Feb 7: Only 4 below this morning. This cold continues to persist. We have clear blue skies. Lake Superior is still but the textured surface and blotches of smooth surface help us denote where the ice is forming on the lake. I am surprised there is not more ice out there when you combine the stillness, the cold, and the lake temperature.
Feb 6: The cold refuses to let go. It was back to 11 below this morning and an afternoon high of only 6 degrees here along the lake. Gitche Gumi is still and we could see ice forming in the morning. However, in spite of the stillness the ice disappeared in the afternoon. There was plenty of sun which makes it surprising that it didn't get warmer than 6. It must be a really cold air mass over us.
Feb 5: It is a little warmer this morning with a 1 below low. The big lake is a blue gray with 1ft waves from the south. No ice can bee seen this morning. Skies are a gray overcast. Last night in bed I watched the waning yellow moon rise up over the horizon and into the sky.
Feb 4: The cold continues. 10 below this morning and 5 above this afternoon. The lake is still and you can see the steam whirlwinds rising off the surface. You could see ice patches forming but the patches were pulled away from the shore and by noon they had been pulled so far out that all you could see was open water. There must be a good amount of ice on lake. The large dark cloud mass that normally forms over the lake in the severe cold is smaller than normal. My guess is that the more ice means less suface area for the steam to rise up making the cloud smaller.
Feb 3: It was cold again with 8 below this morning and a high of about 6 here by the lake. Small waves from the SE dissipated in the afternoon. The still lake began the process of freezing and then a shelf of thin ice came in to shore. Light snow during today left enough of a dusting on the ice to make it clearly seen.
Feb 2: It was cold. The lake was calm. Some ice began forming on the lake but then waves picked up and dissipated the ice. Our low this morning was 8 below and our high this afternoon was 8 above.
Feb 1: We had 5 below this morning. Clear blue skies helped lift the temps up into the single digits above for the afternoon highs. Strong gusts of wind can almost knock you off your feet making the wind chills quite severe. Lake Superior was blue with deep blue highlights. The 1-2ft waves from the SSW so far are preventing ice formation.
January 2018
Jan 31: The morning temp was 24 which gradually decreased through the day. During the night I began to see a dark band out on the lake past the white surface of ice with freshly fallen snow on it. At about 2am I could tell the band was getting closer and realized that it was waves on the lake breaking away at the ice. Soon I could hear the sounds of the breaking ice and then at 4am the waves broke up all the ice and were htting the shore. At 7am the waves had pulled the ice away from shore leaving about a 100ft band of clear water next to the shore. Gradually the waves kept pulling the ice out further and further. By noon no ice was visible anymore from shore. The winds last night really drifted up the 4" of fresh snow from yesterday. It took all morning to shovel out the drifts around the resort. Winds and colder temps greeted the afternoon.
Jan 30: It was 5 below this morning and has warmed up slowly as light snow has began. We are at 13 degrees at noon. We woke up to a still and now mostly frozen lake. The thin sheets of ice are gradually filling in the open water. As the sheets shift they pile on top of each other and push against and up onto the shore. The sound of the shifting ice is a welcome sound we didn't get to hear last winter.
Jan 29: Traveling back to Lake Superior we saw the temps hover from 7-10 degrees between Minneapolis and Duluth. Coming down into Duluth temps went up hovering between 11-15 degrees between Duluth and Grand Marais. The lake looked cold. The surface was still and you could see that cie was beginning to form. I will bet that by morning we will have ice as far as we can see unless the winds pick up.
Jan 28: I miss the lake and the inn today but had such a good time watching my son sing for his last time in the O-tones. The O-tones bill themselves as America's fastest men choir. They are made up entirely of members of the men's Saint Olaf cross country team. They meet only during January term and culminate their practices with a 20 minute concert for friends and family. As a senior, this was my son's final concert.
Jan 27: We headed to the cities today. We stopped in Saint Paul at Rice Park to see this year's ice palace. It was fun and the first my daughter has ever seen. So, so many people. Maybe the ice palace idea is something that may be better suited to a more northern city, I think the days of ice castles being practical in Saint Paul may be coming to a close. Lake Superior was blue today with 2ft waves from the south as we headed down the shore.
Jan 26: It has warmed up overnight waking up to 32 degrees this morning. Skies are a medium gray overcast except at the horizon where it is a pale blue. Lake Superior has greenish gray 2-3ft waves from the SE this morning.
Jan 25: Gitche Gumi is a dark gray with a textured surface and small 6" waves from the SSE. Skies overhead are overcast and temps today in Croftville are in the teens and 20's.
Jan 24: The low bottomed out at 12 degrees last night and then began gradually warming. Most of the day, we were in the 20's with overcast skies. Some light snow cames down, not so much snowflakes, but rather small white snow pellets. Our total accumulation for the day was less than an inch. The big lake was gray and mostly calm.
Jan 23: We had a low of 15 this morning and a high of 27 this afternoon. It is cooling down quickly tonight already at 12 degrees at 9pm. There was sun today obscured ever so slightly by a light overcast. Lake Superior was a brilliant blue and mostly calm with ripples from the SE.
Jan 22: We started the day at 25 and finished the day at 15. Waves grew out on Superior ending up with 3-4ft waves from the SE. The wind also picked up as the day went on and is quite blustery tonight. But the biggest news today is that we had 0 precipitation as the storm we expected a few days ago turned further south leaving places like Faribault, my hometown with 15-18" of wet sticky snow.
Jan 21: Hovering right around freezing today, it was a gray day. The lake was still and quiet. The gray surface mimicked the gray overcast sky. No wind made it even quieter outdoors.
Jan 20: What a day with a high of 41 and a low of 33. Our snow cover is distinctly soft as this thaw is now into its third day. The overcast skies gradually changed to heavy fog later in the day. Lake Superior had small 1ft gray waves from the SSW.
Jan 19: It is overcast and dark this morning. Lake Superior has 1-2ft blue gray waves from the SSW. We woke up to 31 degrees this morning finding out it didn't really cool off last night at all.
Jan 18: It was a warm day with a high of 35 and a low this morning of 22. The waves were a bit more subdued than the enormous waves from yesterday. We only had 2-3ft waves from the oblique angle of the SW today.
Jan 17: The last ore freighter of the season passed by today for its winter home in Duluth. We will miss them and look forward to seeing again in late March or April again once the locks are open. It was a spectacular day to watch the waves on Superior. They boomed and crashed as they hit the shore. The 5-7ft steel blue waves with whitecaps and black shadows were mesmerizing. We briefly had a thaw today as the temp hit 32 after spending most the day in the 20's.
Jan 16: It is 5 above this morning. The unusual thing is that the cloud mass over the lake, that we usually associate with subzero temps, is there as well as the little steam whirlwinds rising off the water. Elsewhere we have very lightly overcast skies, not heavy enough to stop the sun. No snow today which means no shoveling. Yeah!
Jan 15: We started at 3 above and had a high of 23 today. By most accounts, it appears that Grand Marais down by Lake Superior was the warm spot in the state today. It was much warmer than the Twin Cities. Lake Superior had dark blue 3ft waves from the south with a good amount of sun. At times the wind would pick up, particularly in the evening. We woke up to snow, perhaps another 2" of fresh snow that was done by 11am.
Jan 14: It was 9 below early this morning by the lake but has been steadily rising all day. It is now 15 degrees at 9pm. Snow has been coming down on and off all day. We have accumulated about 3 inches of fresh snow but it is hard to tell with the wind off the lake blowing and drifting the snow. Lake Superior has 3ft translucent blue waves from the south.
Jan 13: It was 8 below this morning but eventually rose to 3 above before dropping back into the subzero realm. I finished the shoveling I never got done yesterday. There is a huge difference between shoveling at 9 below and shoveling at 3 above. The same difference there is between 32 degrees and 44 degrees. There was ice forming out on the lake this morning. The lake was calm enough and the subzero temps made it possible. Croftville Road is a white winter wonderland.
Jan 12: It was 9 below this morning, the winds had finally quit blowing, the snow plows had went by, and I had to shovel snow. It was nasty cold. You can see the dark cloud mass forming over the lake and the steam whirlwinds rising up off the surface. The high for the day was 3 below.
Jan 11: I woke up to 34 degrees and rain this morning that quickly transitioned into snow, plummeting temperautres, and high winds. By 10am we had 2" of fresh snow and temps already down to 15 degrees. The wind off the hill is moving the snow horizontally in blizzard fashion. Lake Superior is a metal gray and still. You can watch the gusts of wind move out over the lake.
Jan 10: It was a damp warm day here in Croftville. We had a high of 37 and a low of 34 with overcast skies and a mist coming down most of the day and turned into light rain tonight. Lake Superior had just small waves from the SE on a gray surface that seamlessly transitioned into a white sky at the horizon.
Jan 9: I watched two ore freighters passing by from my bed last night. I have become so accustomed to seeing them regularly that I will miss them when the locks close I believe next week. Skies are lightly overcast this morning. Lake Superior has only ripples this morning with a pale blue surface and silver reflectons. I went out expecting temps in the teens this morning only to find it was 6 degrees. I guess I will wait for the sun to warm things up a bit before I start my table saw.
Jan 8: It was a beautiful day today with a morning temp of 15 and an afternoon high of 29. We saw 3 ore freighters pass by Croftville this afternoon. Lake Superior had 3-4ft deep blue waves with a few whitecaps from the SE today. They say our January thaw is coming in just 2 days here on the north shore.
Jan 7: What a difference a couple days can make. We woke up to 18 degrees this morning and had a high of 27 this afternoon. Snow overnight, maybe 3 inches, started blowing and drifting into the strong overnight winds. I spent most of the morning and early afternoon shoveling and sweeping driveways, walkways, and porches. When I finally finished the power went out for 8 hours. Since the sun was setting about this time it meant and evening of candlelight and light from the fire.
Jan 6: What a strange day for temperatures. We started the day at 17 below and ended the day at 17 above. Lake Superior was as still as glass this morning. It was mostly open water but there were patches of broken up ice that gave the appearance of a rough textured surface. As the day went on the sun turned to clouds and then light snow. The lake began to churn up waves and the wind started to strongly blow off the lake.
Jan 5: We have a still Lake Superior this sunny morning. There are patches of ice as far as I can see. The dark cloud mass out over the lake is still there with steam rising off the surface and into the cloud. We once again had 14 below this morning and in spite of the bright sun, things are not warming up very quickly. They are forecasting warmer temps begining tomorrow, in the meantime, our sunzero days and nights continue.
Jan 4: It was 14 below this morning and an afternoon high of 6 before starting the descent back into below zero temps. The sun feels good but it just stays so brutally cold. Lake Superior was pretty calm today and a smooth dark blue. We can also see ice forming on the lake. It makes the lake look sort of glittery with the sunlight reflecting off the small ice fragments forming on the lake.
Jan 3: The waves shifted from the SSW to the SE over the night and gradually dissipated. The nearly full moon lit up the lake and everything else in Croftville with the light reflecting off the lake and the snow. This morning I could see that the cloud mass out over the lake had began to form again. Sure enough, it was 11 below down here next to the lake. Skies overhead are blue and the lake has small waves from the SE with a textured surface of blues and silvers.
Jan 2: I could here Lake Superior moving large rocks around on the shore as I woke up this morning. The lake had 4-6ft large gray roller waves coming into the shore. The grinding and clunking sounds of the larger waves are quite distinct. It stayed relatively warm last night and was 5 degrees this morning and our high for the day is at 7pm and 10 degrees. We had big fluffy snow falling this late afternoon but so far there has been no appreciable accumulation.
Jan 1: 2018 began with 10 below and is slowly warming up. We are now at 0 degrees at 11am. The cloud mass over the lake seems a bit smaller and whiter this morning. Lake Superior has 2-3ft bright blue waves with navy shadows and silver highlights from the SSW. Skies overhead are blue. The winds have ceased. And even zero degrees and no wind seems like a heat wave after the past few windy and subzero days.