Four Season Cottages and Vacation Suites
On the Shore of Lake Superior
Grand Marais, Minnesota
December 2026
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November 2026
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October 2026
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September 2026
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August 2026
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Aug 7: It is once again 54 this morning. We had black clouds to the west that moved our way. The first round passed by about 9am dropping heavy rain. Skies are now a dark gray overcast with more waves of rain expected through the morning.
Aug 6: It was chilly this morning with 54 degrees but warmed up nicely to 76 and sun this afternoon. Late in the afternoon a white overcast began moving in. Lake Superior built 3-4ft deep blue waves with navy shadows from the SSE this afternoon. A cool breeze made it a great day to be outside and watch the lake.
Aug 5: After a high of 74 yesterday we woke up to 57 this morning and topped out this afternoon at 69. We had partly cloudy skies today with large white cumulus clouds drifting by. Lake Superior was blue with 1ft waves and a crisp horizon line.
Aug 4: It is 61 this morning with white hazy skies. Lake Superior has a white lake horizon. It has 2ft grayish blue roller waves from the south with green shadows and a textured surface. We had a thunderstorm complete with heavy rain, strong winds, and lightning that lit up the night sky early this morning.
Aug 3: It was sunny this morning but turned to overcast white skies in the afternoon. Lake Superior had small pale blue roller waves from the SSE. Our low was 55 and our high 68 today.
Aug 2: It was a beautiful Sunday. Our low was 60 and our high 74 here along the shore. Plenty of sun in the morning with white overcast taking over later in the day. Lake Superior had pale blue 6" roller waves from the SSE rolling into the rocks.
Aug 1: Another warm night last night with a low of 64. There was a little sun in the morning but skies became white and gray overcast with a high of 72 today. Lake Superior had a bluish gray surface with ripples from the SE. The lake horizon was fuzzy but visible.
July 2026
Jul 31: Another warm night with an overnight low of 61 which led to a high of 75 this afternoon. We dropped back in the 60's by 6pm with a comfortable breeze making its way off the lake. The big lake has 1ft silver blue waves with dark olive shadows from the south. The lake horizon is fuzzy and white. Skies overhead also have a white haze to them but the sun can still cast shadows.
Jul 30: It was warm and muggy last night with a low of only 64. A couple thunderstorms with some rain and some lightning passed through from about 3-6am this morning. Skies are a white overcast with sun burning through from time to time. It is currently 75 and humid at 4pm. Lake Superior is a pale gray meeting a pale gray horizon line. We have 1ft waves from the SSE coming into shore with light blue shadows.
Jul 29: We had a low of 58 and a high of 76 here in Croftville. Lake Superior was calm and pale blue. Skies were blue at times but with high humidity we were prone to white overcast skies and fog that could roll in and out over the lake.
Jul 28: Lake Superior is still tonight with sort of a pale purplish blue hue. The lake blends seamlessly into the sky at the lake horizon. We had some sun today once the fog was burned away during the morning. The high was 71 after beginning the day at 57 degrees.
Jul 27: We were witness to an impressive thunder storm with heavy rains this morning from our 3 to 6am. Overnight we dropped to 53 degrees and in spite of being humid, you cannot complain about a high of only 66 degrees here by Lake Superior. Lots of fog today. Lots of gray overcast today. Lots of limited visibility on the lake with no lake horizon visible. Lake Superior was gray with 1ft waves. The sun tried to burn away the overcast late in the afternoon but even with the overcast skies gone, there was still the fog hovering over both land and lake.
Jul 26: Gitche Gumi is calm pale blue with only ripples on its surface. It became foggy yesterday evening on that fog is still hovering just above the lake surface this morning. We can see the lake horizon albeit fuzzy. Overhead we have white overcast skies that let just enough light through to cast fuzzy shadows. Our high yesterday was 71 but it felt hotter than that. The low this morning was 57. The air is still and humid.
Jul 25: It was 50 degrees this morning. We are now at 59 degrees at 11am. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves with dark green shadows from the SSE. It was good listening to the waves during the night. A thunderstorm passed through around 3am dropping rain and lighting up the sky. I don't think we got a large amount of rain but it came down hard for a brief time. Skies are a white overcast today with limited visibility of a couple hundred yards on the lake.
Jul 24: Powerful gusts of wind swirled about today. It was hard to tell from what direction but because they were warm, I think they were generally coming off the hill. The sun peaked out once in a while through the clouds and overcast. When it did, it felt hot. The high today was 71 after a morning low of 50. Lake Superior had 2-3ft blusih gray waves from the SSE generated by the wind.
Jul 23: This morning we have 51 degrees and overcast skies. The rising sun is an orange orb through the overcast. We have a crisp clear lake horizon. Lake Superior has 1-2ft pale blue waves with olive shadows from the south. The hummingbirds are on a feeding frenzy. It is difficult to keep our feeders filled.
Jul 22: It was a cloudy and windy day. Some of the clouds were dark enough that I thought we would get rain but that never happened. Lake Superior had 1-2ft waves from the SE. Our low was 57 and our high for the day was 71.
Jul 21: Our overnight low was a warm 60 degrees. Skies are a light hazy blue. There is no-smoke smell in the air. Skies over the lake are cloudy. We have a crisp horizon line which we haven't seen for over a week. Lake Superior has small gray roller waves from the south on a textured surface.
Jul 20: It was a beautiful smoke-free day along Lake Superior today. There is some fog out on its blue surface moving in and out. The horizon line is fuzzy with the fog. Lake Superior has small waves from the south. Our low was 55 but there was a change in the weather in the afternoon and we surged to 80 degrees by late afternoon. Skies overhead were mostly clear blue with a few straggling white clouds.
Jul 19: The deluge of cancellations due to the wildfires in Quetico and Sag and associated smoke have finally ceased. Today our low was 51 and our high was 66 along the lake in Croftville. Gitche Gumee has light blue ripples from the south. Visibility over the lake is still limited by a mixture of fog and smoke. There was no smell of smoke today and a cool breeze off the lake. We had a nice rain shower briefly in the mid-afternoon.
Jul 18: Our overnight low was 57. Our high today was 69. There was a tiny more smoke in the air today than yesterday but there was a lot of fog also. Lake Superior had 1ft pale blue waves with olive shadows from the south. There were powerful wind gusts early this morning but eventually we ended up with a gentle cool breeze from the SSW blowing along the lakeshore. Visibility on the lake was limited by fog and smoke. The lake horizon was blurry at best or invisible.
Jul 17: Our low overnight was 57. We are currently at 60 at 2pm. It has been another long day on the phone and responding to emails about the smoke from scheduled guests. We had a strong rain this morning which has kept the temperature from rising and has washed the smoke out of the air at least temporarily. Hopefully this rain has knocked down some of the wildfires as well. It is brighter out but visibility is still very limited which is a mixture of fog and smoke. Lake Superior has 1-2ft green waves from the SE for the 100ft that you can see the lake.
Jul 16: It was the worst air quality I remember seeing in Grand Marais. Except for a brief time near dusk, we could not see any of the lake today from the inn with visibility being only about 50-100ft. Our low this morning was 57 and the high this afternoon was 69. However, to keep the smoke out of the inn we kept the windows closed and the shades shut to keep out any solar gain. I say solar gain because the smoke was heavy enough to block out the sun. Even so, it became warm in the inn with temps in the mid 70's by evening. It was a terrible day both for our own health but also the health of the business as I was on the phone all day responding to cancellation requests.
Jul 15: It was a smoke filled day in Grand Marais, all along the North Shore through Duluth, and all the way to the northern suburbs of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Air quality was bad. Our low this morning was 64 and our high this afternoon was 77 in Croftville. Lake Superior had 1-2ft roller waves from the south. However, for most of the day the lake was barely visible between the smoke and the fog mixed over the lake. We are anticipating milder temperatures and conditions for improved air quality. This will allow firefighters in Canada and northern Minnesota to get the multiple fires contained.
Jul 14: The high yesterday late afternoon spiked briefly to 81 degrees which was our warmest day this summer. However, we dropped to 54 overnight and today we were in the 60's down along the lake all day long and briefly hit 73 in the late afternoon when the winds changed and began blowing smoke from the forest fires near Ely and Quetico our way. Most of the day we had a little haze overhead and fog moving in and out from the lake. Lake Superior had 1-2ft blue waves with green shadows from the SSE.
Jul 13: Our morning low was 54. We are now at 62 at 10am. There is still a strong wind this morning but not like the powerful winds of yesterday. Lake Superior has 1-2ft blue waves with olive shadows from the SE this morning with a fog bank sitting out over the lake. The bank of fog moves in and out from the shore. Each time the fog moves onto shore there is an accompanying chill. Overhead the skies are clear and blue.
Jul 12: We started with 60 degrees this morning and peaked at 77 which is our warmest day of the year down here by the lake. Lake Superior was still this morning but the strong winds from the west and warm air added energy to Lake Superior and we ended the day with 2ft blue waves with olive shadows from the south. The overcast skies of this morning were blown away by the west winds.
Jul 11: We are getting quite a stretch of calm Lake Superior days. Today was another one. Lake Superior is a blend of blues and whites on a calm surface with some fog over the cold lake. Over the land we have clear blue skies. Our low was 54 this morning and our high was 71 late this afternoon. It was warm in the sun and cold in the shade. Warmer air is supposed to be on the way. We will see what Gitche Gami has to say about that.
Jul 10: The thimbleberries now have their large white blossoms on them. The morning low in Croftville was 54 and with a late afternoon spike in temps our high was briefly 71. Lake Superior was calm and pale blue today. The only wave action was from the boat wakes. Plenty of blue skies over the land. Skies over the lake were a white haze.
Jul 9: We had a high of 69 yesterday afternoon with lots of mosquitoes in the shade and pleasantly warm in the sun. Lake Superior was glass overnight and completely silent. This morning we have 47 degrees and a white still lake. There is fog above the lake surface. We have blue skies over the land. Close to shore we can see every rock on the lake bed.
Jul 8: It was a warm 59 overnight but still pleasant for sleeping along the lake. The lake was almost silent when I went to bed but is silent when I woke up. All we have is a light silver gray lake with ripples from the south. There was a light rain ovenight that just stopped at 9am. Visibility out on the lake is difficult to say, the silver lake melds seamlessly into the silver sky.
Jul 7: It was a sunny warm day today. Our high was 72 after a morning low of 54 by the lake. It felt hot in the sun and cool in the shade with a gentle breeze. Lake Superior had 1ft blue waves from the SE this morning but calmed down to just ripples by evening. The red osier dogwood have begun blooming with their white clusters of flowers. Our lilac is now in full bloom weighing the limbs down.
Jul 6: After a high of 72 yesterday afternoon we began with a low of 53 this morning. It has been a sunny but white hazy day. The haze is not heavy enough to block the sun. Gitche Gami is a pale blue and once again only has ripples from the SE brushing up against the rocks. The lake horizon line is hazy and obscured. Our high this afternoon appears to be 70 by the lake barring a late afternoon spike.
Jul 5: Our low is 54 this morning. Lake Superior is silent, pale blue, and calm. All we have is ripples from the SE in front of a hazy horizon line that changes to hazy skies over the lake. Close to shore we can see every rock and boulder on the lakebed under the water. Overhead we have clear blue skies.
Jul 4: It was a beautiful summer day here along the shore in Croftville. Our morning low was a surprisingly warm 59 but our high was still a very comfortable 74. Lake Superior had small 6"-1ft waves from the SE that brushed against our shore. There was plenty of sun but a little bit of high haze that wasn't enough to interfere with casting shadows. We watched the skies this afternoon for Joey's jet to pass by on the way to Amsterdam but they passed further south over Lake Superior and we were not able to spot the jet stream. Joey is on his way to Africa to attend a wedding of his college friend.
Jul 3: Our low this morning was 52 after a decent rain overnight. It is a hazy day outside with uniform gray skies. It is possible that the sun will burn off this haze in the afternoon. Lake Superior has 6" silver and blue waves on a rippled surface from the south. Visibility at 11am is only about 50 yards out on the lake. Last night we had a near full moon that lit up the skies and created amazing moon shadows on our grounds.
Jul 2: It was a warm and perhaps a little humid day here along the big lake. Our high was 76 after a morning low of 51. There was plenty of sun today and it was warm enough that it felt pleasant to sit in the shade without bundling up. Lake Superior was calm in the morning but the heat and wind added enough energy to develop 1-2ft waves by late afternoon.
Jul 1: July comes in with a low of 49 degrees this morning. It is a crazy busy cleaning day at the inn with 5 check-outs and 5 check-ins. On those days I almost do not even notice the weather. We did have rain overnight. Lake Superior has 1ft waves from the SE brushing the shore. Our high was in the upper 60's.
June 2026
Jun 30: Fog moved in and out from the lake all day today. Our morning low was 51 and our afternoon high when we could see blue skies through the fog was 66. We had 6" to 1ft light blue waves with a textured surface from the SSE. Visibility with the fog varied from 100ft to a half mile.
Jun 29: We had intense fog, strong wind, and heavy rains separated by periods of mist today. Never saw the sun. Lake Superior was gray with 1-2ft waves from the SE for the little bit of the lake that was visible. Our low was 51 and our high was 69.
Jun 28: After a high of 69 late yesterday afternoon, this morning our low was 51 and we stayed in the upper 50's down here by the lake. I know it got much warmer a little bit inland. We had rain overnight and small bouts of light rain during the day. Lake Superior was gray with small waves from the SE.
Jun 27: We woke to a breeze and clear blue skies. The temp this morning was a warm 52. Lake Superior has a textured blue surface with navy shadows and small waves. Our crabapple blossoms are now just past peak and our lilac is showing signs that it will bloom next.
Jun 26: It was a day of pale blue glass on Superior today. The only waves we saw were from the wakes of watercraft playing around on its calm surface. It is surprising how long you must wait for a speed boat's wake to get to the shore. You can watch its slightly deeper blue leading ridge get closer and closer. It is a bit like trying to watch water boil. You get distracted and then with a calm lake, you distinctly hear the wake lapping against the rocks. Skies were blue, sunny, and clear. Our low was 48 but our high spiked to 77 briefly in the late afternoon.
Jun 25: It was a stunning day here along the big lake. We had a low of 50 and a high of 60 with blue skies and sun all day long and occasional cumulus clouds floating by. There was a small breeze off the lake keeping everything cool. Lake Superior has 1ft blue waves from the south with a crisp lake horizon.
Jun 24: The glass surface of Lake Superior made it hard to sleep with still air and complete quiet. However, around dawn waves began to pick up with 1-2ft gray waves from the SE. At the same time rain began to fall. Sometimes it was just a mist but others times it was coming down pretty hard. Either way, the overcast skies and moisture has been constant. Our low was 48 and at noon we are still only 52 here in Croftville.
Jun 23: Lake Superior was glass when I woke up. It was glass all through the day. It was glass tonight. We had some sun this morning but by afternoon skies were overcast. Lake Superior was bluish gray with a fuzzy horizon line. Our low was 48 and our high was 66.
Jun 22: I thought we might have a day without rain but this afternoon we once again had brief rain showers separated by blue skies mixed with large cumulus clouds. Once again the lake horizon was not visible due to the fog sitting just above the lake surface. Our low was 47. Our high was 67. Lake Superior was relatively calm with small pale blue waves from the south.
Jun 21: The low was 47 this morning. There is fog sitting on the lake surface limiting visibility and masking the lake horizon. The lake is calm with only pale blue ripples. They are saying we should see intermittent and light rain showers today.
Jun 20: What an alternating day of weather. How many times we went from rain the sunny skies today I cannot make a reasonable guess. With the blue skies were large cumulus clouds that would drop rain withing minutes of sunny skies. With all the moisture in the atmosphere, Lake Superior had fog obscuring the horizon all day long. The surface was mostly calm with its color changing as fast as he weather. Our low was 47 and our high was 64.
Jun 19: The low is 51 this morning. The sun is shining through patches in the cloud cover. Lake Superior is a silver blue with black shadows on its highly textured surface and has 1ft waves from the south. The rain has knocked off many of the juneberry and apple blossoms from the trees.
Jun 18: It was supposed to be a sunny day today but that didn't happen. We had overcast skies and a couple bouts of rain in the afternoon. Lake Superior was gray with 1-2ft waves from the SSE. Our low was a chilly 44 and our high was 66. It was actually surprisingly warm when the wind came off the hill.
Jun 17: Brrhh! It was 45 this morning and only managed 53 this afternoon down by the lake in Croftville today. The wind was fierce at times. Lake Superior had 1ft gray waves from the SSE coming straight into shore. Skies were overcast and most of the day it was a light steady rain with bouts of heavier rain. Not sure how much rain we got but considering the duration we must have had between a half to a full inch throughout the day. A good soaker.
Jun 16: We had a low of 47 and a high of 60 today. The day had mixed skies and weather but there were bouts of light rain periodically all day long. Lake Superior had 1-2ft pale blue waves from the south today that were reduced to just ripples by evening. There was fog out over the lake the entire day.
Jun 15: Although there was a little light rain this morning and more light rain at dusk, in between it was a beautiful to be outdoors enjoying the sun, the clouds, and the 2-3ft blue waves from the south. Our friend Jackie stopped by and we walked around the resort and enjoyed the lakeshore. Our morning low was 49 and our high was 68.
Jun 14: The cold weather along Lake Superior finally broke today with a strong warm wind coming off the hill and onto the lake all day. Our low was 52 and our high 77 here in Croftville next to the lake. The wind subdued the waves near the shore leaving a highly textured dark blue surface with black shadows and silver highlights. We could watch the gusts move out over the surface after impact. Skies had large cumulus clouds with dark gray bottoms with about 50% of the sky deep blue.
Jun 13: We have 45 degrees this morning. Lake Superior has 2-3ft silver gray waves with slate colored shadows from the south this morning. Skies are cloudy all the way to the lake horizon. There is a strong swirling wind mostly from the west.
Jun 12: Lake Superior had large 2-4ft waves from the SSE today and a strong breeze coming off the lake from the same direction. It was a cold day to be outdoors. There was some short periods of light rain and some periods of overcast. Most of the day overhead we had large cumulus clouds with gray bottoms and tiny patches of blue sky. Our low was 45 and our high was 59.
Jun 11: Our low overnight was 45 and our high this afternoon climbed to 65. We had some mist, we had some light rain, but most of the day was overcast skies and fog out on the lake that never allows you to see the lake horizon. Lake Superior has 2-3ft silver waves with dark aqua shadows coming straight in from the SSE. The breeze off the lake is cold.
Jun 10: We returned to the big lake today. It was 88 degrees when we left the funeral at Saint John's near Nerstrand a little after noon. It was 92 as we passed through Saint Paul. It was 48 when we arrived back at the resort at 9pm. Rainstorms threatened us all day long although there was some sun in the morning. The thunderheads we watched traveling from the cities to Duluth were impressive. However, as we approached Duluth we encountered thick fog that stuck with us all the way up the shore until Schroeder.
Jun 9: We headed to southern Minnesota today to attend the funeral for my friend's mother in Nerstrand. Leaving at 8am the temperature here in Croftville was a chilly 48 degrees. When we pulled into my mom's place in Dundas 6 hours later it was 93. It is almost like 2 separate worlds even though we are in the same state. It was so interesting to go from the spring greens on our foliage that has only recently leafed out to the deep summer greens on the trees that deepened as we traveled further south.
Jun 8: We had some rain overnight and a low of 49. This morning was a mixture of light rain, mist, and fog. Visibility on the lake was limited since the fog never completely burned off over the lake. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray roller waves from the Se with green shadows. Our high this afternoon was 61.
Jun 7: The juneberries are now in full bloom. It was a gorgeous early summer day. The morning low was a warm 51 degrees and the high this afternoon was 69. I woke up to a silent lake of glass at 7am. By 8am winds had picked up over the lake and we had 1ft light blue waves with navy shadows from the SE Eventually we settled in on 2ft waves by late morning. Skies were sunny with just a little bit of clouds. Fog limited visibility over the lake until it burned off completely by noon.
Jun 6: Our low this morning is 48. Lake Superior is a pale blue with 1ft waves and navy shadows from the SE. Visibility is only a couple hundred yards before the lake disappears into the fog. Skies are clear but a little hazy except for the fog out over the lake. The birds are really talkative this morning probably because of the rain 2 night ago.
Jun 5: Our high was 58 after a morning low of 48 today. It was a beautiful sunny day but it felt a little muggy even though we were only in the 50's. We do get spoiled here next to Lake Superior complaining about humidity when it is only in the 50's. Lake Superior is blue and mostly calm today but you can feel the cool breeze off the lake. Last night we had an impressive thunderstorm. Pounding rain, loud thunder, and lightning lighting up the night sky.
Jun 4: It was a very different day today. Morning was on and off rain with gray overcast skies. The afternoon had short bouts of sunshine between gray overcast skies. Lake Superior was a calm gray with ripples on its surface. Our low was 51 and our high only 59.
Jun 3: It was almost an exact repeat of yesterday. Our low was 48 and our high 69. We had clear blue skies until cloud cover began arriving at 7pm. Lake Superior was blue and calm with ripples barely noticeable on its surface. The air was mostly still with a little air movement from the lake.
Jun 2: Once again our low was 47. It was another gorgeous day to be outside. The breeze off the calm lake was cold on my skin but if you were moving around you were comfortable. Our high was 69. Lake Superior was almost a blue glass with barely noticeable ripples on its surface. Skies had plenty of blue but did have a few clouds and plenty of sun.
Jun 1: It was a beautiful late spring day in Croftville. It is amazing to see how much green and lush the lawn has become this past week and with our little bit of soil, the intense yellow dandelions are out in full force. Our low was 47 and our high was 71. Lake Superior was a deep blue with a crisp white horizon line.
May 2026
May 31: It is the last day of May. Our morning low was 45. We have clear blue but slightly hazy skies. The lake horizon is white and fuzzy. Lake Superior has 1-2ft blue roller waves from the SE. I can see the local commercial fishermen about a quarter mile out. Each day more and more leaves are out. The birch should be leafed out soon.
May 30: Certainly Lake Superior kept away the record heat the rest of Minnesota has. Our high yesterday did manage to hit 71 late in the afternoon with the bright sun. This morning we were back to 46. We didn't see 50 degrees until after noon. And once again we squeaked out a high of 71 in the late afternoon. It was a sunny day with clear blue skies and plenty of wind. Only when the wind off the lake died down did we move into the 60's. Lake Superior was a deep blue with navy shadows and whitecaps. Waves from the SE grew from 2ft in the morning to 3-4ft in the early evening.
May 29: Lake Superior was still glass during the night making it almost too silent to sleep. This morning we have 47 degrees and a 1ft blue waves from the SSW. We have dark green shadows and a few whitecaps on the textured surface. There are some high thin clouds over the lake and clear blue skies over the land. They say it could be a record setting highs today in northern Minnesota, we will have to see if Lake Superior has different plans for us here in Croftville.
May 28: It was a gorgeous calm day on Lake Superior. The lake was blue with only ripples on its surface. The sky above the lake horizon was white turning blue as you panned upward. There was a gentle breeze off the lake keeping temperatures much cooler than the rest of Minnesota. Our low was 46 and our high was 68. Leaves on the apsens are now fully forming with the delicate spring green color.
May 27: I woke up to 57 this morning but by 11am it had dropped to our low for the day of 52. The wind off the lake really cooled things off in spite of a sunny blue day. You just can't compete with wind off the big cold lake next to you. Lake Superior had 2-3ft waves from the SE this afternoon and the best the sun and clear blue skies could muster was 58 degrees by late afternoon.
May 26: We end today with a calm Lake Superior with just ripples from the SSE brushing straight into our shore. The day was clear with blue skies and at times just a little haze. Lake Superior was blue. For the first time this spring we climbed into the 70's today with a high of 75 late in the afternoon. I was surprised to see how quickly the large leaves on the thimbleberries are growing. Our low was 49 this morning.
May 25: It was a rainy day today with many bouts of rain between short bouts of overcast skies. The low was 43 and our high was 60. Lake Superior had 2ft gray waves from the SSE.
May 24: We began out day with fog and zero visibility on the lake. By midmorning the fog had lifted and we had blue skies and a white horizon line. By noon clouds came rolling in, some almost black. By midafternoon we had partly cloudy blue skies with plenty of sun. Near dusk overcast skies moved in. With each change in sky we had color and texture changes in the lake with 1-2ft waves from the SE. Our low was 42 and our high was a pleasant 60.
May 23: We had bouts of light rain during the evening last night and during the night. Today we have had a mostly steady light rain all day long with gray overcast skies. We have a gray lake with green shadows. There are 1-2ft roller waves from the SE. Our low was 45 and our high only got to 49 this afternoon.
May 22: It was a warmer start to the day with 42 degrees. but it was slow to warm up. Our high is 56 at 8pm after a rain shower that passed through for the last couple hours. Pretty much no sun today with cloudy and overcast skies. Winds became gusty with the rain. Lake Superior was gray with 2-3ft gray waves from from the SE with a highly textured surface and a higher frequency than we are accustomed to.
May 21: Another night of bright stars, another morning of frost, and another cool day on Lake Superior in Croftville. Our low was 32. Our high was 55 around 5pm. Lake Superior this morning was a pale blue with ripples from the SE. However, this evening those ripples have grown to 2-3ft metallic blue waves with black shadows against a white lake horizon line.
May 20: There was frost on the rooves this morning with a low of 32. Luckily, our newly transplanted flowers were OK. I could tell it was going to get cold this morning with the clear black sky with stars last night. The 1-2ft deep gray waves this morning slowly dissipated to a calm glassy lake by sunset. Our high once the morning clouds moved out was 58 this afternoon. It felt so good to have sun on our faces.
May 19: Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves from the SE today. Skies are cloudy with cloud cover mixing in grays, whites, and a little blue where the cloud cover is thin. It is another cool day with 42 as the low and 54 as our high. As we plant our flowers, a frost warning was just issued for tonight. I think we are safe being so close to the lake and all our flowers in planters, boxes, and baskets close to the buildings.
May 18: It was a cool day today in Croftville. Our low was 42 and our high was 49. Although we had a little sun mixed in, it was a partly cloudy morning that turned into dark gray overcast skies in the afternoon. A light rain or mist took over later in the day. As we traveled along Highway 61 we had bouts of heavy fog. Once again there were strong gusts of wind and Lake Superior had 2-3ft gray waves from the SE with a textured surface.
May 17: We began with a cold morning with 39 degrees today. It never really warmed up with a high in the low 50's. Lake Superior was turbulent and bluish gray with 2-4ft waves. We watched a couple ore freighters pass by quite close. One looked like it might turn and go into the Grand Marais Harbor when we were eating at Voyageur Brewery.
May 16: It was a tale of 2 days today. We began the day along Lake Superior with sun, blue skies, a smattering of clouds, and 70 degrees at 1pm. Lake Superior was blue with gusty winds and 2-3ft waves on a textured surface. We decided to go up the Gunflint to hike the Magnetic Rock Trail. Generally if it is about 10 degrees warmer up the trail on a sunny day so we dressed expecting 80 degrees, sun, and brought the sunscreen. However, driving up the trail we approached a coldfront with dark ominous clouds. Temps dropped to 58 degrees by the time we reached the trailhead with overcast skies and possible rain. The rain never happened but it was a cold hike with inadequate clothing. By the time we got back to Grand Marais it was 52 degrees by the lake with strong gusts.
May 15: We got a decent rain during the night but skies were clear by morning and stayed clear through the day although we could see a haze from the humidity in the air. Our low was 47 and our high was 63 down along the lake in Croftville. Lake Superior was a light blue with 1ft roller waves coming straight in to shore from the SSE.
May 14: Our low this morning is 39 degrees. We have high thin clouds that allow just a little blue through. Lake Superior has 1ft bluish gray waves from the SE with a textured surface and olive shadows. We are at 45 degrees at 11am.
May 13: Our low was 38 this morning and our high was 57 in Croftville. Lake Superior had 2-3ft grayish blue roller waves from the SE. It was a mostly cloudy day but with small patches of blue between the white cumulus clouds. The color of the aspens groves is changing from its winter bark gray to a very faint sage green that matched the color of the buds.
May 12: After a high of 56 late yesterday afternoon and a canoe excursion on a very cold Lake Superior, we dropped to 35 overnight. Rain began around 4am and a light rain and drizzle continued throughout the day. Skies were gray and overcast. Our high was only 46. Lake Superior was gray with 2ft waves from the SSE.
May 11: Our low this morning was 36 and we are at 45 at 11am. Skies are cloudy with white and gray clouds and no sun this morning. Lake Superior is calm with a light blue textured surface. There is a small band of blue just above the lake horizon. I don't know if those blue skies are coming our way or not but it looks like northern Wisconsin is enjoying some sun this morning.
May 10: We began today in downtown Saint Paul, picked up our college graduate from Hamline University, and headed to Dundas for a Mother Day's brunch with my mom who will be 92 this week. Skies were partly cloudy with plenty of sun. Grass is green. Most of the trees are leafed out. After brunch we turned our sights on Grand Marais. It was around Moose Lake that none of the aspens were leafed out. Rosie said she dislikes living through spring in March in the Twin Cities and then having to live through spring again in May in Grand Marais. As we went over Thompson Hill, we saw the blue of Lake Superior.
May 9: We spent today in Saint Paul. Highs were in the low 70's and there were blue skies. It was so fun to walk down to the Mississippi without a coat. What fun to gather under the shade trees in the park outside the graduation ceremony. Tomorrow we will return to early spring as we travel up the North Shore.
May 8: We have clear blue skies this morning with a pale blue calm Lake Superior against a white horizon line. Only ripples in places on the surface. I was woke up when the Smith's were placing fishing nets just out in front of the resort. I heard the motor of the boat and then a couple minutes later I heard the wake from the boat lapping on the shore. Signs of spring are becoming more prevalent with each passing day. Today I could finally notice the buds on the quaking aspens. Yet winter still holds a faint grip with 30 degrees and frost this morning.
May 7: Such a beautiful but still cold spring day in Croftville. Our low was 35 and we saw snow flurries this morning. However, we also had partly cloudy white cloudy skies with plenty of sun that warmed us up to 54 briefly this afternoon before dropping down again. There was no wind so it was pleasant working outside in the sun. Lake Superior has 2-3ft deep blue waves from the south. We finished raking just in time to notice our grass beginning to turn some green.
May 6: It was another cold morning again with 33 degrees. Lake Superior still has 2-3ft metallic gray waves from the south pounding our shore. Skies are cloudy with different bands of clouds moving through. It was snowing pretty hard around 8am but the ground is now too warm for any accumulation. Skies turned to gray overcast in the afternoon and we managed to squeak out a high of 44 degrees.
May 5: There was snow and a heavy frost on the grass and rooves this morning. Lake Superior has 2ft metallic gray waves from the south. Skies are a gray overcast and it feels so cold after having 68 degrees by the lake just 2 days ago. Our low this morning was 33 degrees and our high was only 38. Not quite winter but definitely does not feel like spring in spite of the gooseberries now leafing out.
May 4: Skies are fickle today. We had dark skies and a hard rainstorm this morning that quickly changed to intermittent sun with partly cloudy cumulus clouds in the sky. Lake Superio has 2-3ft metallic gray waves and a highly textured surface from the south. Our morning low was a very warm 45 degrees and our afternoon high was 56.
May 3: We have not even made it to 60 degrees until today but our high was 68 here by the lake after starting the day at only 37 degrees. Lake Superior was blue with 1-2ft waves from the SSE. It was a sunny day with only an occasional cloud in the air.
May 2: Our low was 30 this morning and our high with the help of mostly sunny skies was 51. Lake Superior has 1ft smooth light blue waves from the SSE against a white horizon line.
May 1: With a low of 28 this morning and a calm Lake Superior I was surprised to see a sheet of ice about a half mile out from the shore when I woke up. It disappeared around 11am. I assume it was reabsorbed by the lake. The surface had just ripples giving the effect of wavy bluish glass. Skies were mostly cloudy and overcast but the high managed to reach 48 degrees anyway.
April 2026
Apr 30: We are becoming spolied as April closes. I am complaining that it is cold with a morning low of 36. Skies are cloudy and white this morning. We are at 39 degrees at 11am. The lake is silvery gray with small waves from the south. The lake horizon is navy blue suggesting rain in northern Wisconsin. The last snowbank on the north side of Cottage #1 disappeared yesterday. It is remarkable how quickly the heavy rains dispersed the last of our snow.
Apr 29: Skies are cloudy and overcast today. There were times it looked like rain but it never happened. The low this morning was 37 and our high was in the upper 40's. At 4pm we are back down to 41. Lake Superior has a light blue gray surface with ripples from the SSE. The lake horizon is split in two. To the east there is a dark navy band over the UP. To the west we have a white band of northern Wisconsin.
Apr 28: It was a beautiful spring day but there was standing water everywhere after the heavy rains yesterday and the frost not completely out of the ground yet. The low was 41 and our high was 55 with plenty of sun. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray blue waves from the south. There are many logs washed up on our shore after the rain.
Apr 27: It rained all day long continuously, hard at times. We have well over an inch of new rain. Skies were dark gray. Our low was 37 and our high was 48. We have -2ft gray waves from the SE. Later in the day, a band of copper colored water began forming near the shore from the runoff. We watched a big tree, roots and all, be carried by the waves. We think it finally hit shore at our neighbors next door. It must have been ejected into Lake Superior by the Devil Track River.
Apr 26: It began raining in the early morning. It has been a light but fairly consistent rain all day long. Skies are gray and white cloud covered. We have 1ft gray roller waves from the SSE. There is a thin dark navy band in the sky at the lake horizon suggesting bad weather in northern Wisconsin. Our low this morning was 38 and at1pm we are at 41.
Apr 25: Lake Superior is a light blue gray this morning with only ripples on its surface. The air is still. It dropped to 34 overnight but is now in the low 40's. Skies are a white overcast and the lake surface disappears into the clouds and mist.
Apr 24: We began with 40 this morning, peaked at 53, and then dropped back down to 40 tonight. It was a gorgeous day to be outside after the rainstorm for the second night last night. The sun felt good on the face. The snow is now completely gone except on north sides of objects and heavily shaded areas. Lake Superior has 2ft waves from the SE on a deep blue surface.
Apr 23: What a show over the lake last night we had. Lightning lit up the sky. rain pounding the ground, and thunder shaking the air. The rain ended in Croftville around 11pm but the show over the lake continued until about 4am. Our low was 46 today but that was around 11am, it stayed at 50 degrees overnight. Our high this afternoon was 54. It was sunny this morning but skies have become overcast and cloudy getting darker and darker since around 2pm. We might have a repeat of last night. Lake Superior was deep blue this morning and has turned gray when the sun left. We have 2ft waves from the SE.
Apr 22: Lake Superior was blue glass early this morning. By noon we had small waves from the SSE and by late afternoon we had 1-2ft waves switching to the SE. Skies were clear all day but after sunset clouds came in and we have rain, heavy rain at times. Our low was 34, our high was 59. At 11pm it is a remarkable 50 degrees outside by the lake.
Apr 21: I thought I had seen the last of the ice out on Lake Superior but I was wrong. Lake Superior this morning is deep blue with 1ft roller waves from the south against a clear blue sky. About a half mile out I can see a wide band of ice. It is still too far away to see if it is shelf ice or broken up ice. We will have to see if it continues towards our shore. It was 31 overnight but the sun is quickly warming the air up. It is already 45 degrees at 9am.
Apr 20: Lake Superior was light blue glass this morning which turned into 6" to 1ft waves later in the day. It was sunny most of the day but overcast skies did pass through on occasion. The snow buntings are still going nuts outside and driving our cat crazy. The low was 23 and the high was 45. It was a great day to be out in the sun.
Apr 19: Our low this morning was a chilly 25 degrees here by the lake, but it warmed up quickly with a high of 43 degrees and mostly sunny blue skies. There was a cold brisk wind. Lake Superior is dark blue with 6" waves from the oblique SW direction. The snow buntings are swarming everywhere and making short work of our bird feeders.
Apr 18: We saw 3 ore freighters pass by today. Lake Superior is blue with 1-2ft waves from the south. Skies are mixed. Winds are brisk. It is definitely a colder day today with overnight temps in the 20's and a high of 34 that just got above freezing. We watched a doe today stand up on her hind legs, tilted the roofs of 2 of our bird feeders and then preceded to remove the bird seed carefully with her long tongue all while watching to see if anyone could see what she was doing.
Apr 17: It is a roller coaster day here in Croftville. The morning low was 39 before the partly sunny skies jumped us up to the warmest temperature of the season at 57 degrees. To the south we watched the dark almost black clouds all morning before they began to move up the shoreline. Around 4:30pm the cold front hit with a huge surge of wind followed by lightning, thunder, gusts, and pelleting rain from the north. The tops of the trees were whipping to and froe. The gusts smashed into the lake surface and then radiated outward from the shore. All in all the initial storm lasted for about an hour. It has now passed and our temperature has dropped 16 degrees to 41.
Apr 16: There was hard ice in the windshields this morning with a morning low of 34. It is still heavily overcast today but nothing like the intense fog that sat above the lake surface yesterday afternoon and evening. Lake Superior has 1ft waves from the south. Even without any direct sun, we climbed to 50 degrees for a short time this afternoon.
Apr 15: Lake Superior is a grayish blue with 6" waves from the SSW brushing our shore. Visibility on the lake is limited to 100-200ft. Skies are a gray overcast except where the sun should be which is a white overcast in those places. Our temperatures ranged from 38 to 48 today. The snow continues to recede despite the lack of direct sun. The creeks are opening up after all the rain from the past few days.
Apr 14: It rained on and off all day today. Sometimes it was raining quite hard and the first time it quite entirely was in late afternoon. The rain from today and yesterday and the warm temps from yesterday have really melted much of our snow. We can finally see the isolated patches of bare ground joining up so you can maneuver around the snow piles. Our low was 39 but it was 41 when I got up, it was 41 all day, and it climbed ever so briefly to 44 in the late afternoon. Guess what? It is now again 41 degrees at 9pm. Lake Superior had 1-2ft gray waves from the SE.
Apr 13: We had our first 50 plus degree day since October today. Our high was 54 after a low this morning of 38. Not much sun which makes this warmth even more remarkable. Lake Superior had bluish gray waves.
Apr 12: We had a high of 45 yesterday but before it began warming up we had a snow squall that then turned to rain. The rain continued through the night. Our low this morning was 45 and it appears our high will be 41. Skies are gray and foggy. Lake Superior has 2ft copper gray waves from the SE with visibility of about 100ft.
Apr 11: There are clear blue skies over thew land and lake this morning. Our low was 33. Lake Superior is a deep blue, calm, and silent with just a few ripples on its flat surface. It is our son's 30th birthday today and he is spending it with his friends as he should be. I wonder if he knows how important that day was in Teresa and my life. Certainly it is more important to me than my own birth day. I wonder if my birth day was as important to my parents as Joey's birth day is to me.
Apr 10: It was a windy day today. Our low was 30 and our high was 42 late in the afternoon. Lake Superior was a dark bluish gray. The skies were mostly cloudy and overcast. It looked like we might get rain but it never happened. The surface of the lake was mostly calm with a little texture and 6" to 1ft waves from the SSE.
Apr 9: We had a dusting of snow on the ground this morning even though the low overnight was 33. The fresh snow was gone by late morning and we warmed up to 43 even though skies were cloud covered. Lake Superior was bluish gray with 1ft waves from the SSE.
Apr 8: It was a strange day that began with freezing rain overnight that then turned to a dusting of snow this morning. Our low was 30 and our high 37. By mid-morning the snow turned to a mist and light rain that stuck around on and off all through the day. Lake Superior was gray. The sky was gray. Visibility was limited.
Apr 7: It was quite chilly this morning with only 16 degrees down here by the open water lake. It was cold enough to form quite a bit of surface ice which reabsorbed by noon. Overnight we watched the gold gibbous moon rise over the water and watched an ore freighter all lit up pass by only 2-3 miles out from the shore. This afternoon we had a mostly calm, deeply blue Lake Superior. Our high with the sun surprisingly spiked to 45 by mid afternoon before plummeting back into the low 30's by evening.
Apr 6: Our low this morning was 26 and our high only managed 35 late in the afternoon after a cold and very windy day with powerful gusts coming off the hill and buffeting the deep blue lake surface. We has a dusting of snow when we woke and had a few significant snow falls but they were very short lived. Lake Superior had 1-2ft waves that were often subdued by the wind. We had clear blue skies and lots of sun but the air was just too cold to warm up like we would expect.
Apr 5: Our low this morning was 27 but the air warmed up quickly and we had 45 degrees to celebrate Easter by Lake Superior today. We watched two ore freighters pass by going toward Duluth.
Apr 4: We had 43 degrees yesterday afternoon and it only got to 32 degrees during the night. Snow began in the morning and we ended up with on and off snow through mid afternoon totaling about 2". The waves were massive with 4-5ft waves from the SE pounding the shore and knocking some huge blocks of ice onto the rocks. Lake Superior had a choclolate band of water near the shore abd a grayish blue band of water further out. Skies were white and overcast with the snow. Our high was 34 degrees.
Apr 3: For all the media attention the storm drew, I would have to say this storm was a dud. Last night we finally got 2-3 inches of snow from a storm they were predicting 9-15". Today, the winds have subsided. The waves are down to 2ft gray rollers on a textured surface from the SE. There is a large band of lake ice about 1 mile out that appears to be slowly moving toward the shore. We have a bank of white clouds over the lake horizon. We have blue skies over the lake. We have high gray clouds over the land. Our low was 26 this morning and we are currently at 36 degrees at noon.
Apr 2: The blizzard warning they had us all scared of never materialized overnight nor this morning. We did get the strong winds from the east and NE but the first snowflakes which were more like freezing mist showed up just before noon today and has been short-lived. They still claim it is coming but it now feels more like they are crying wolf. Our low overnight was 26 and our high today was 33 degrees. At 6pm we have heavy winds off the lake but only a dusting of new snow. Lake Superior has 4-5ft waves with massive whitecaps from the SE. There is a band of copper colored water close to shore and a band of translucent blue water further out against a foggy or snowy horizon line.
Apr 1: We had freezing rain and a little snow in the early evening last night. I could see the stars and nearly full moon from my bedroom window during the night. This morning we have 21 degrees, mostly blue skies with high gray clouds, and a blue lake with 1-2ft waves from the SE. Our high for the day was 32.
March 2026
Mar 31: Our high yesterday was 38 and our low this morning was again 21. The high today was only 33 degrees. Lake Superior was a dark blue gray with gray overcast skies and 2-3ft roller waves from the SE. A band of molten ice moved into shore and undulated up and down most of the day. We also had 1-2" of fresh snow, just enough to need to shovel the sidewalks. We traveled up to Grand Portage to see High Falls. The falls and the river still have a good deal of ice covering them but the areas that were swirling and cascading open water were quite impressive. With the amount of shade from the tree cover, there was much more ice on the trails than I expected.
Mar 30: Lake Superior is silent this morning with only small ripples on the dark blue surface. I think I can see a band of molten ice out about a mile from the shore. Skies are partly cloudy with high clouds over the lake but mostly overcast on the land. We had a afternoon high yesterday of 39 degrees and we dropped to 21 overnight. At 10am we are hovering right around freezing.
Mar 29: After a high of just 36 degrees yesterday, we dropped to a low of 21 this morning. We have blue but hazy skies with the sun coming through. Waves on Lake Superior have shifted overnight now coming from the SE. The lake has 2-3ft dark blue gray waves this morning.
Mar 28: We have gray overcast skies this morning, dark gray over the lake horizon. Lake Superior has 1-2ft bluish gray waves from the south. It is breezy and sunless with a morning low of 14. The constant waves from the past few day have eaten away at the ice shelf along the shore. Some of the rocks on the shore are now exposed.
Mar 27: It is a brisk day out today with strong winds coming off the hill and onto the lake. Lake Superior has 1-2ft blue gray waves from the SE. There was a good amount of sun today but it was just too cold and windy to be comfortable outside. The low this morning was 18 and our high touched 30 just briefly this afternoon before starting down the scale again.
Mar 26: It was a cool day with a healthy wind to make things feel even cooler. Skies were overcast and cloudy which further made it cold to be outdoors. Our low was 27 this morning and our high was 39 before dropping back to 27 in the evening. Later in the afternoon the sun came out and made it more comfortable outdoors. Lake Superior had 1-2ft gray blue waves from the SE.
Mar 25: It was raining overnight but that rain turned to a dusting of snow near morning. Our low was 33 degrees. It rained lightly until early afternoon. Lake Superior had 1-2ft gray blue waves from the SE. The high climbed to 43.
Mar 24: We had a dusting of snow again overnight with the low of 32 degrees. Our high was 44 and we had mixed skies with sun coming through at times. Lake Superior had grayish blue 1-2ft waves coming in straight from the SSE. During the day those waves slowly ate away the shelf ice all the way back to the rocks on the shore. The lake ice could be seen about a half mile from the shore but moved out even further near the end of the day to a couple miles.
Mar 23: Our low this morning was 26 and we are at 32 at noon. We had a dusting of snow during the night. There are clear blue skies except for a hazy band at the horizon. The lake is still with ice sheets drifting toward shore. We have ripples from the SW in the open waters.
Mar 22: I returned today from Round Lake Bible Camp in Ontario. It was a much colder day than yesterday. There was plenty of sun but was only 21 degrees when I left the camp at noon. By the time I got to the border crossing we were up to 27 and we ended up with a 33 degree high finally in Croftville around 6pm. Roads were a mixture of ice, gravel, and salt sitting on top of the pavement making travel slow on what were already narrow winding roads. When I got to Lake Superior, it was stunningly blue against the brilliant white ice shelves that jutted out from the shore.
Mar 21: Down here in Croftville we had snow followed by rain and a high of 48 degrees today. However, I spent the day on Round Lake in Ontario at a Men's Bible Retreat. We also had about 4" of snow followed by a warm afternoon with rain. The frozen lake was slushy to hike and a little too soft for ice skating on their rink.
Mar 20: It was 32 when I went to bed last night but it was 38 when I got up this morning. It is now sunny with mostly blue skies, high white clouds, and 41 degrees at 9am. I think it is going to be a very warm day and we may have a lot of melting. Lake Superior is calm with ripples on its grayish blue surface. You can watch gusts of wind off the hill spread out on the lake after they hit the surface. The broken ice moved out during the night and I can see a band of that ice about a mile out from the shore.
Mar 19: We had another day of heavy fog and freezing mist as we traveled from Faribault to the seminar in Arden Hills this morning. Luckly road conditions became good by the time we got into heavy traffic for the morning rush time entering the cities. Traveling home after the seminar we enjoyed sun and temps in the 40's until Duluth. Coming over Thompson Hill temps dropped to 32 degrees and we could see that the head of the lake was white with ice. Returning to Grand Marais we could hear the ice churning up against the shore.
Mar 18: We traveled to southern Minnesota today for a tax appointment and seminar. It was 21 degrees this morning when we left. We had 1-2 inches of light fluffy snow overnight but there was a layer of frozen mist underneath it. Traveling down the shore was difficult with the frozen mist still on some of the road surfaces and heavy fog limited visibility. Freezing mist was still coming down and freezing even on our windshield. The mist ended near Two Harbors and the fog dissipated driving up the hill out of Duluth. It was 32 degrees in Duluth and was 46 degrees when we arrived in Faribault.
Mar 17: The wind is gone. The waves on Lake Superior have subsided. Skies were blue and sunny this morning but have changed to light gray overcast this afternoon. Temps plummeted to 1 below zero overnight. The result was ice started forming on the still lake surface. That ice was not visible this morning but has now began moving to and onto the shore this afternoon. Currently we have 20 degrees at 3pm.
Mar 16: It was a cold and windy day today. The strong winds were buffeting us from the hill and hitting the lake. It was 8 degrees this morning and we only got to a 25 degree high in spite of the clear blue skies and sun. We heard huge waves from Lake Superior overnight an had 3-4ft blue roller waves from the SE during the day.
Mar 15: Our low this morning was 26 and our low at 11pm is 21. In between we had a high of 33. The overcast skies today did not produce anything more than snow flurries here in Croftville but they also prevented much solar gain. I saw no sign of melting today. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray waves from the south. Winds were all over the place as far as direction.
Mar 14: The mathematician in me has to say Happy Pi Day. Our low overnight was 11 but even sun being filtered through light cloud cover, we managed to get to 38 today and the melting of yesterday's blizzard has begun. The strong winds have been replaced with a light breeze. The massive waves are now just 2ft light blue waves from the south. You can still see regions of a water / snow mixture from all the snow that was blown into or fell into the lake during the storm.
Mar 13: The wind picked up and the snow began coming down at 11pm last night. It snowed and blew heavily through the night with an estimate of 12 inches here by the lake in Croftville this morning. Snow is still coming down but only lightly but the wind is still blowing snow around hard. Lake Superior has 5ft gray waves that are a snow and water slurry hammering the shore. Our temps have stayed steady throughout this storm at 28 and 29 degrees. They say the blizzard will end around 1pm.
Mar 12: It was a rather unremarkable day here in Croftville. It was colder again with a low of 15 and warmed into the upper 20's today after a high of 43 yesterday. Lake Superior continued to have 1-2ft gray waves from the SE. Skies were mostly cloudy with a little sun peaking out at times. Mostly people are talking about the impending blizzard with 12 plus inches of snow that is supposed to be on the way. First they said it was to hit at 1pm. Then it was 4pm. Duluth said on the 6pm news that they had snow beginning. However, it is 10pm and still no sign of the storm with the possible exception that I can hear the waves starting to pick up.
Mar 11: We have gray overcast skies over the lake and gray partly cloudy skies with patches of blue over the land this morning. The big lake has 1-2ft gray roller waves from the SE that break just before the rocks. Our temperature dropped to 25 overnight and has been rising this morning after another inch of fresh snow. We are now at 33 degrees at noon. No sign of any lake ice today.
Mar 10: What a difference a day makes. Our low was 26 and our high was 27. Overnight we got a half inch of snow that remained all day long. Skies are a mixture of mostly gray cloudy skies and gray overcast. Lake Superior has 3-4ft waves from the SE crashing into our rocks and consuming much of the ice that was built up on the shore. The waves are a gray metallic color with some blue tones far out and some copper tones close to shore.
Mar 9: Overnight we only got down to 34 degrees with melting continuing all through the night. With a 47 degree high today, the snow cover on roofs, roads, and walkways was melting rapidly. Overhead, we had mostly cloudy skies which limited the melting on the ground. Lake Superior has 1-2ft gray blue roller waves from the SSE. There is no visible ice out on the lake today.
Mar 8: Our low was 33 overnight. Each time I got up during the night the sky was clear and I could see the moon. And yet, sometime during the night we received about an inch of snowfall. How that happened will remain a mystery. At 10am we are already to 40 degrees and with clear blue skies and a bright sun reflecting off the lake. The waves picked up during the night with 3ft crests from the SSE pounding the shore. The waves ate away so much at the ice on the shore that the rocks are again exposed next to the shore. That ice was pulled out into the lake creating a band of liquid ice with chunks of every size.
Mar 7: All trace of ice was gone in the water this morning and throughout today. There is still some ice stacked up and frozen on the shore. Lake Superior was a dark blue with just ripples from the SW on its flat surface this morning. Skies were cloudy, mostly gray but with a little white coming through where the clouds were thinner. By afternoon 1-2ft waves had developed and we had sun breaking through. It rained lightly all night. Our temps dropped briefly to 25 and the rain turned to a dusting of snow. By morning it was back to 34 degrees and our high was 42.
Mar 6: It warmed up overnight and I woke up to 30 degrees. We have freezing rain outside and our temps have topped out at 33 degrees. Skies have been a dreary white overcast all day long. Lake Superior barely has ripples on its dark navy surface. There are strands of molten ice parallel with the shore that almost appear to be a river of ice flowing through the unfrozen lake surface. The freezing rain makes all the flat surfaces very slippery.
Mar 5: Waves on Lake Superior last night and today have created large regions of open dark gray waters. The 2-3ft waves from the SE ate away the ice shelf peninsulas during the night. Today those waves are reabsorbing the ice or pulling out away from shore. I can see a band of ice about 1-2miles out from the beach. The low overnight was 19 and we are now at 26 at 3pm which is likely the high today considering the unbroken gray overcast skies that have covered us all day.
Mar 4: No sun today. We have gotten spoiled with the sun from the past days. Gray overcast skies did little for solar gain, there was very little melting today. Our low was 28 and our high 32. Lake Superior is calm with a mixture of ice sheet moving east to west longitudinally along the shore. There are a few currents that look almost like rivers.
Mar 3: The sky is clear but hazy today, especially over Lake Superior. The lake is still with ice sheets and patches tightly packed in the water. I can see no completely frozen regions nor can I see and regions devoid of ice. Overnight we dropped to 26 and so far today our high is 43 at 3pm. Melting on the roadways is extensive.
Mar 2: It is a clear sunny day with light blue skies. Lake Superior has patches and regions of ice, open water, and a slurry mix. The open water is deep blue with ripples from the SW. Our low was 5 overnight and we are now at 31 degrees at noon. Snow and ice on the roads and sidewalks are melting.
Mar 1: We begin March on this Sunday morning with a clear light blue sky. The sun is bright and at 9am we are already at 6 above after an overnight low of 3 below. Lake Superior is deep blue and still. There are still remnants of the huge ice shelf clinging to the shore. The lake surface is a mixture of open water, open water with broken ice in it reflecting sunlight, and patches large and small of thin ice out on the lake.
February 2026
Feb 28: It was a sunny but cold day today. Our low was 6 and our high was 24. It felt good to get some solar gain on our porch with 62 degrees even without a fire. Lake Superior was a deep blue with just ripples and a few regions of ice on its surface.
Feb 27: I woke to 25 degrees and a date with my John Deere tractor to throw snow from the last 2 storms that I didn't have time until now. Skies are a light gray overcast. The air is still. Lake Superior has ice as far as you can see with patches of open water. We are currently at 35 degrees at 1pm.
Feb 26: We had a chilly low of 4 overnight but we warmed all the way up to 36 today by the lake. Overnight we had another couple inches of fresh snow. The bazaar ice formations still remain near the shore but the cold temps caused most of the lake near the shore to freeze and then have the fresh snow sit on top of it. We had to travel to southern Minnesota today to drop tax documents off. Snow remained all the way to Duluth but by the time we got to Duluth temps were up to 32. Passing over Thompson Hill the snow was gone, the skies were blue, and the sun was bright. The temperature rose to 37 degrees and continued increasing all the way to Faribault where it was 47 degrees.
Feb 25: What and interesting shore I woke up to today. By last night, broken ice from the lake got piled up deep on both the shore rocks and for about the first 30ft of the lake. The cold temps locked that ice together into one large ice mass. During the night 2-4ft waves from the lake began picking off pieces of this ice mass and pulling them back into the lake. By morning, most of this ice mass had disappeared except for the strongest pieces that were anchored to both the shore rocks and to the lakebed. These bazaar pieces of ice looked like top heavy rocks that have had most of the support under them eroded away.
Feb 24: Our low was 11 and our high 27 today. The snowstorm that was supposed to arrive last night didn't start until 8am. It was mostly done by 11am and resulted in just 2" of fresh light snow. Ice accumulated during the night along the shoreline in a band of 200-400 yards this morning. The 100ft closest to shore was locked in place. The rest of the ice could be seen rising and falling in the 2-3ft roller waves. When the waves hit the locked in point, they reflected back out onto the molten ice and lake. I watched this happen again and again. Slowly the waves kept eating away at the locked in ice.
Feb 23: I thought we may have seen the last of our below zero temps a couple weeks ago, bit I was wrong. It was 2 below zero by the lake this morning. Patches of tin sheet ice could be seen out on the smooth calm blue surface all day. Our high was 16. Skies were lightly overcast. Snow is expected overnight along the shore.
Feb 22: The wind gusts off the hill are brutal today. They hit the lake with a heavy hand and then spread out over the surface. When they hit the buildings trees the swirl around them in multiple directions. Skies are gray clouds except near the lake horizon where there is a dark navy band of clouds. Lake Superior has 6" roller waves from the SE that are being subdued by the wind near the shore. Out low was 13 and our high only 18. With the wind and cold, it is a miserable day to be outside.
Feb 21: Our high today was 27 and our low will be as the day ends around 18 degrees. We had a few snow flurries today and light overcast skies. Lake Superior was calm and had patches of thin ice on its surface.
Feb 20: We drove to the Duluth airport today to drop our son off for a short trip to Las Vegas for a half marathon. Skies overhead were blue but skies at the lake horizon were dark navy suggesting snow in northern Wisconsin. Our high today was 24 and our low was 16. Road to Duluth still had snow on them in places on the way down but were clear and dry on the drive home. Lake Superior had 1-2ft blue waves from the SE.
Feb 19: It was still snowing this morning and the wind was still blowing strong from the east. We picked up another 2" overnight and perhaps another inch of snow after I got up. The snow was heavy, dense, and a little wet. It was 30 degrees for our low this morning and 32 for our high. Temps started dropping at sunset and we are currently at 24 at 10pm. Today was a snow blowing and shoveling day once the snowplow went by and the snow ended around 11am. Lake Superior started to calm down with 4ft waves this morning and 2-3ft waves by tonight still from the SE. There was an ice shelf that sat about 1-2 miles off the shore but never moved in all day. The lake was a deep blue.
Feb 18: The waves were epic today. We had 5-7ft dark blue gray waves from the SE pounding the ledgerock here. The snow fell hard all night and all day today. The gusting powerful wind from the east created large drifts along Croftville Road. It is so hard to tell with the drifting but I would estimate we have had 18-24" of snow so far. The blizzard is packing the snow densely. The winds are blowing a lot of snow into the water where there are pockets of the lake the look like giant snow cones or slushies. Nowhere in the inn can you get away from the surging sounds of the waves. Our low was 27 and our high was 29 today.
Feb 17: Today waves returned to Lake Superior and their familiar sounds. We had 2-4ft deep dark almost black navy waves from the SE with whitecaps. A strong east wind began around 11am. Overcast skies began to move in around 4pm. Our low was 30 this morning and our high was 42 around noon. We are bracing for a blizzard to begin on the North Shore later tonight.
Feb 16: Our low was 24 and our high 43 today. There has been plenty of sun and at times partly cloudy skies especially early this morning. Lake Superior is still and blue with some ice away from the shore a couple hundred yards out. The lake was magnificent after sunrise today. The dark blue water near the shore perfectly reflected the blue sky with black, gray, and white cumulus clouds. This reflection blended perfectly into the whitish gray ice further our on the lake to the horizon and the amazing sky.
Feb 15: It is a tale of two days. This morning we had a low of 26 that quickly warmed up into the low 30's. Skies were blue and sunny. Lake Superior was a deep blue and flat with a little lake ice sheets near the shore. By 11am fog moved in and the ice was reabsorbed by the lake. It was eerily still and gray with the lake flat and silent. The afternoon high was 33. There were times I thought the heavy fog was snow but it was simply too warm and humid for that to happen.
Feb 14: It is Valentines Day, Saturday night, and the first time we are completely full since October. Our low was 22 and our high 37 today down by the lake. It was another day of clear blue sunny skies and rapid melting continued on the exposed surfaces like roads and roofs. Lake Superior had 6" blue waves from the SE today. There was a band of broken ice a couple hundred yards from shore that looks like it finally got reabsorbed late in the afternoon.
Feb 13: I think the last time we were in the 40's was about 1 week before Thanksgiving. But today we skyrocketed to 46 degrees down here along the Croftville Road. We had sun all day long with clear blue skies except for a few high thin clouds over the lake. The sun really melted snow on the roofs and the roadways. Our low this morning was 21 and was already 31 by 8am. Lake Superior was a deep blue today and completely calm with no waves. It is weird to have the lake so silent.
Feb 12: The little bit of wave action overnight bunched up the tin pieces of ice onto and next to the shore. Our low was 10 and our high this afternoon was 33 with a warm bright yellow sun heating the exposed areas up and melting ice off of roadways. The lake become glass during the night and completely silent. Today it was a dark blue against a baby blue sky.
Feb 11: All ice was gone this morning except for a few small vestiges clinging to the shoreline. Our low was 17. Our high 33 degrees. There was lots of sun and blue skies. Lake Superior was intensely blue. The winds were strong but surprisingly there were only ripples on the lake surface.
Feb 10: Our high was 34 after a morning low 0f 29. We saw some sun briefly but the majority of the day we had white overcast skies, snow flurries, and lots of swirling wind. Lake Superior was still covered with ice as far as we could see this morning. Then the ice started shifting out and broke a channel about 100 yards away from the shore. Gradually chunks of ice broke off of the shelf attached to the shore and drifted as smaller sheets into the widening channel.
Feb 9: Lake Superior was locked in by an ice sheet as far as I could see today. In the afternoon I could hear ice breaking but it was further out than I could see from the shore. Temperatures today held steady with 32 degrees when I woke up and 33 degrees as the high. Skies were white overcast.
Feb 8: The shelf ice that I was suspecting made its way to shore around 1am. We could hear it crinkling as it hit the shore and began to pile up on top of itself. The moonlight showed there were other bands of shelf ice coming towards us. By morning the ice was done moving and Lake Superior was completely still with sheets of white ice and regions of open water. The skies are white overcast and our temperature is 24.
Feb 7: The day started with a calm blue Lake Superior with small waves from the SE and steam mini twisters rising off the surface. The low was 1 below. Temps rose slowly through the day and our high of 18 was at 10pm. It looks like there is some shelf ice out near the lake horizon but it is hard to tell.
Feb 6: As a cold front moves into Cook County today, our high was 33 degrees at midnight and has been generally dropping ever since. It was 18 when I got up and 14 by noon. It was a sunny day, so the rebounded back up to 19 in the afternoon but now we are back to 9 degrees at 8pm. The bright sun gave us a blue lake with 1ft roller waves from the SE. Strong winds off the hill could be watched as they hit the surface and then spread out over the lake.
Feb 5: The waves on Lake Superior started around 3am. It was good to hear them again after the stillness for the past days. Our low was 21 this morning and temps have been very slowly rising all day. At 9pm we are now at today's high of 33. With about 2" of fresh snow during the night, today we manned the snow blower and snow shovels. Skies remained overcast all day. Lake Superior had 2ft green waves today.
Feb 4: The big lake was still today with only a few ripples this afternoon. I saw a little thin sheets of ice on the surface but they were gone by mid-morning in spite of the stillness. Lake Superior was a light blue gray. Skies were white overcast. The low was 11 and the high this afternoon was 25.
Feb 3: It dropped to 0 degrees sometime during the night but was already 10 degrees at 8am on its way to a high of 24. Lake Superior was completely still in the early morning. A thin sheet of ice had formed on the surface near the shore and small ice shards could be seen on the ripples further out. We could also see little steam curlicues rising off the lake surface until about 11am. By 11am all signs of ice in the water were gone. The sun today felt powerful on your face. It is no longer that weak sun we had in December. We are definitely entering the later part of winter.
Feb 2: We had about an inch of fresh light snow yesterday and overnight that was just enough that we had to shovel and sweep. I woke up to 16 and our high for the day was 19. We had brief periods of sun but most of the day was white overcast. Lake Superior had 1-2ft waves from the SSE.
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.