2026 | CRCottages

Cottage Chronicles
Lake Superior Diary 2026

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February 2026

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Feb 1: It was 25 degrees when we got up this morning. Temperatures have remained steady between 24 and 25 degrees all day. Lake Superior has 3ft green waves with dark olive shadows and translucent green highlights as the waves break near the shore. Skies are a light gray overcast. Light snow began around 3pm. Whether there will be any accumulation more than a dusting is not yet clear.

January 2026

Jan 31: The day began with 4 below but with the rise of the sun it warmed up quickly to a final high of 22 degrees around midnight. The sun only lasted until about 11am and we had a white overcast after that. Lake Superior had 1-2ft blue waves from the SE when the sun was out and turned a greenish gray once the overcast skies and wind rolled in.

Jan 30: It is another cold day with 4 below this morning, partly sunny, and a high of 15. There was no surface ice here in Croftville this morning but there was frozen layers of ice on the rocks from the waves. Lake Superior calmed down during the day and was blue with gusts of wind traveling out over the smooth surface.

Jan 29: We begin this morning with 1 below zero. The wind is brisk. Skies are a white overcast and there was a dusting of snow overnight. Lake Superior is gray and calm with ripples from the ESE. The calmness of the lake allowed thin sheets of ice to form on the surface but even the ripples were enough to break the ice up and reabsorb it into the water by 10am. Jan 29 is the first ice on the lake in Croftville this year. That is a little earlier than usual but this long stretch of below zero temps is what made it happen.

Jan 28: Our low was 1 below and our high today was 11 above. We had blue skies except over the center of the lake with the steam rising into the gray cloud. Lake Superior was blue with 1-2ft waves.

Jan 27: It is 2 below this morning. We have bright blue skies except for the dark gray cloud mass over Lake Superior. Steam is still rising off the unfrozen lake with still no signs here in Croftville of any lake ice. There are 2ft blue waves with white and silver highlights from the SSW. Part of the lake is blinding white where the morning sun is reflecting off the surface.

Jan 26: We had strong winds off the lake and some lake effect snow in the late afternoon today. It seemed like it snowed hard but there is so much blowing and drifting that it is impossible to say how much. It certainly was more than an inch and probably less than 3 inches. The low was 11 below and our high was 10 above. Lake Superior had 3-4ft gray waves with dark olive shadows from the south.

Jan 25: It was a cold day today with plenty of wind to make it feel even colder. Out low was 7 below this morning. The sun was out and we warmed to 6 above this afternoon. It is now back to 6 below at 9pm. Snow feel during the night with about an inch or a little more accumulation. Not enough to get out the tractor, but too much to ignore on the steps and walkways. Even though it was above zero, the sea mist continued to rise off the surface of Lake Superior. We had 1-2ft blue waves from the south.

Jan 24: Our low was 14 below this morning and we are now at 3 degrees at 2pm. We have light snow falling. Skies alternate between partly cloudy and white overcast. Lake Superior has 1ft green waves from the south. The large dark cloud mass over the middle of the lake is still there but the steam rising off the surface has disappeared with temps rising above zero.

Jan 23: This is the coldest air we have seen along Lake Superior in decades. We had 21 degrees below zero next to an unfrozen lake, I have never seen that in my 23 years living by Lake Superior. Our high for the day was 5 below zero. Lake Superior continues to have curlicues of water vaper rise off its surface into the large dark cloud over the center of the lake. We have 1-2ft green waves with navy shadows from the south.

Jan 22: It warmed all the way up to 16 degrees by the late afternoon yesterday and then the long decent began. We were at 5 degrees below zero by this morning and although we warmed up to a whopping 3 degrees below zero by 10am, the descent then resumed. At 8pm we are now at 14 degrees below zero next to the unfrozen lake. That is really cloud, I am not sure I have ever seen it this cold here until the lake has frozen over. Lake Superior, of course, has a large gray cloud mass over it with curlicues of steam rising into it all day. Skies elsewhere were a light gray overcast. There were only small waves on the lake and there where occasional strong gusts of wind.

Jan 21: It warmed up to 10 above last night before bouncing down to 1 above and then bouncing back to 9 above by 10am. We had a dusting of snow overnight, just enough to sweep the outside steps. Skies are a white overcast. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray roller waves with bluish highlights from the south.

Jan 20: It was the coldest morning of the season here along the lake with 10 below zero. As the day progressed it warmed up remarkable to a high of 9 above. Skies were a white overcast. Lake Superior was gray with bluish highlights and darker gray shadows with 1ft waves from the south. The large dark cloud mass over the lake dissipated as temps climbed above zero.

Jan 19: It was a bitterly cold day today. We dropped to 7 below zero this morning and our high was 1 below zero. Skies are partly cloudy except over the middle of the lake. A large dark cloud mass has formed there with steam curlicues rising off the surface. Lake Superior is alight blue gray with dark navy shadows and 1-2ft waves from the south. Our cat thought she wanted to go outside but the wall of cold air that almost takes your breathe away turned her right around at the door threshold.

Jan 18: Our high yesterday was 19 and we dropped down to 7 this morning. Our high today was 14 here by the lake. We had bouts of light snow all day today. Total accumulation was less than an inch. Skies were a light gray overcast and Lake Superior was a dark gray with 1-2ft waves from the SSE. Winds picked up later this afternoon and you can hear the stronger gusts whistling through the double hung windows of the inn.

Jan 17: The strong wind is coming off the hill and traveling out onto Lake Superior in gusts you can watch move over the surface. Lake Superior is highly textured but without noticeable waves due to the gusts subduing the waves near the shore. The lake is a metallic gray that turns mor blue as you move further out. Skies are a light gray overcast. Our high for the day was at midnight with 22 degrees. We have been slowly descending ever since and are at 15 degrees at 11am.

Jan 16: Today we had 1ft blue gray waves from the SSE on Lake Superior. Although mostly overcast for the whole day, there were times where the overcast was thin enough for the sun to make reflections off the lake surface. We had bouts of snow during the night and this morning but very little additional accumulation down here by the lake. Our low was 19 this morning and our high was 30. A cold front is supposed to be on its way arriving during the evening.

Jan 15: Our low was 1 above this morning and our high this afternoon looks like it will be 20. We had tremendous wind gusts off the lake during the night and they have continued with a relentless wind today. Snow began in late morning but ended with about an inch of accumulation by midafternoon. It is hard to tell how much we got with the wind. Lake Superior has 3-4ft grayish green waves with dark green shadows and powerful whitecaps from the south. Skies are cloudy and gray.

Jan 14: The cold front descended on us during the night going from about 35 at bedtime to just 5 above this morning. The slush on the walkways and roads froze hard and in some cases smooth and slippery. Our high today was in the teens. Lake Superior had 2ft blue gray waves from the SSE.

Jan 13: It managed to get down just below freezing last night to 30 degrees with a dusting of less than an inch of snow. By the time I got up it was already 34 degrees. The bright sun of today warmed things up to 41 and wiped out that fresh snow plus began melting the other snow. Lake Superior had bright blue 2ft waves with dark green shadows from the south. We are expecting a cold front that is supposed to drop temps down to below zero but it is taking that cold front longer to arrive than anticipated.

Jan 12: We spent the morning cleaning up from the 2" of fresh snow. The sun came out and with a high of 39 that sun had significant melting power. We can see bare asphalt, pavers, and wood treads that we have not seen for several weeks. Our low was 24 but the sun had temps rising quickly. Lake Superior was a deep blue with 2-3ft waves from the south.

Jan 11: Lake Superior had 3ft bluish green waves from the south with aqua shadows and brilliant whitecaps. Skies were mostly cloudy and overcast with patches of sun. Later in the afternoon skies turned gray overcast and snow began to fall around sunset. Looks like we have another couple inches of fresh fluffy snow. Our low this morning was 17 and our high was 28.

Jan 10: Our low this morning was 29 and as midnight approaches us our low for the day is 21 after a high of 33 this afternoon. We had snow overnight. It is hard to tell how much. It looked like about 2" of fresh snow that stuck to the thawed surfaces from yesterday. It was very crusty on the sidewalks, stairs, road, and cars. However, after snow throwing and shoveling I would say it was more like 4 inches. Lake Superior had 1-2ft waves from the south and skies stayed overcast.

Jan 9: The morning low was 32 but the weather has changed. We have mostly sunny skies with a few small cumulus clouds most of which are over Lake Superior. Lake Superior is blue except where the blinding white sunshine is reflecting off the surface. We have 1ft waves from the SSW making contact with the shore. We are at 36 at noon and the sunshine feels so good.

Jan 8: Once again we had lightly overcast skies with no sun. Our low overnight was 28, by the time I got up it was 35, and our high in the afternoon was 38. Lake Superior had 1-2ft gray waves from the SSE hitting our rocks. It felt like possible snow in the afternoon but it never materialized.

Jan 7: Our high today of 35 was book-ended by lows of 28 both this morning and evening. Skies today were a light gray overcast. Lake Superior had dark gray 2-3ft waves from the SE with dark green shadows.

Jan 6: Happy Epiphany. It was a quiet still day today with lightly overcast skies. The result was only a 4 degree differential between our high of 31 and our low of 27. Lake Superior was a bluish gray with small waves from the south.

Jan 5: During the night there was snow falling and waves were 2-3ft. We woke up to just 1ft bluish dark gray waves from the south with overcast skies and the snow was done. Across the lake there was a bank of almost black clouds with lake effect snow likely raging in the UP. Here we had about 8 inches of fresh fluffy snow on the ground. Our low was 22 and our high this afternoon was 30. We spent the day snow blowing (I am thankful for no wind) and shoveling.

Jan 4: Our low was 6 degrees overnight. Temps have rose all day and our high is 27 degrees at midnight. Although we were overcast with the sky looking like snow, all we had were a few flurries until dark when we have accumulated what looks like 3 inches by midnight. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves with green shadows. The air has been mostly still but I have noticed gusts swirling snow around the inn.

Jan 3: We have a sky that looks like snow and we have had a little snow today as well. Lake Superior has gray 1ft waves from the south with green shadows. The air is still. Our low was 8 and at 2pm we are at our current high of 17.

Jan 2: It was even colder this morning with 3 below zero. However, we did manage a high of 12. There was plenty of sun today. We watched several ore freighters pass by on the highly textured blue lake surface. One freighter was surprisingly close as it quickly moved past our frame of view.

Jan 1: It was a cold morning to bring in the New Year. Our low was 2 below zero. Our high was a measly 9 above. It is not a fit day out for man nor beast. We were thinking of driving up to Grand Portage for last night but Teresa and I decided to stay in, make seafood enchiladas, sit by our fire, and watch movies. I expected to see more steam rising off the lake with the cold but it was mostly black and still.