weather

You don’t need to ask. After all it is January in Maine aren’t we supposed to have snow and cold? How cold, you ask; around eight below zero Fahrenheit this morning. The most impressive thing about this cold wave was how it arrived. Yesterday morning when I got up at 5AM the temperature was thirty one, five hours later at 10 I went out and discovered that the temperature had fallen to 10 on a stiff northerly wind. Not a fun day to be outside.

No doubt about it; we are guaranteed to have a white Christmas. Sunday’s storm put 16 to 18 inches on top of the few inches we got on Friday. Without a doubt we will be white on the big day. The most notable thing about the most recent storm was the drifting. The snow was waist deep behind the office when I shoveled a path to the dog kennel. Temperatures are cold with lows in the single numbers and slightly below zero each night and it seems like the wind is always blowing. I guess that winter is here to stay.

This morning we woke up to snow covering the ground and more falling. This is not supposed to be a big “snow event” but rather a garden variety storm. Leaving us with a few inches of new snow on the ground. Just in time for Christmas. We are forecast to get another small storm on Friday and then another early next week. Needless to say it looks like a white Christmas is in the bag here in mid-coast Maine.

Today is the day that marks the change from fall to winter. It usually arrives right around  Thanksgiving here on the Maine coast. Yesterday was warm and windy with plenty of rain. Argy and I went to Bar Harbor to help Noah get the first coat of epoxy resin on his strip built canoe. On our return trip the wind had shifted into the west and was blowing sharply. As the air dried out the temperature dropped. Snow showers are forecast for the next day or so.

We are in the gray and dreary part of November; rainy wet weather is in the forecast for the next several days. On a gray overcast day it stays dark until nearly 7AM and is pretty dark by 4 PM making for short dreary days to be sure.

One of the great things about living where we can see an expanse of sky is that some mornings the day’s weather is clearly spelled out for me. One morning last month I looked out at this sunrise from the front deck and it is very clear that we are in for a day of rain. As the old rhyme goes red sky in morning old guide take warning.

The rain from Hurricane Kyle did not hit us as hard as expected but we still had enough water to raise the rivers lakes and ponds pretty significantly. The river is not at flood stage but definitely bank full. No wading for trout this week anyway. I have guided a few parties getting in one last fishing trip before winter this week and have one more before I switch over to grouse hunting for the rest of the month.

I think that September is without a doubt the best time of the year. The weather is settled and warm during the day with cool nights. This morning I took advantage of a day off and went fishing. No big expedition just an hour on Seven Tree Pond to try and catch a few perch on a fly. I have been trying all summer to find the fly that really works on perch without much luck. Because it was still and sunny I could watch the fish even if they did not take the fly making ideal conditions to see what they were interested in.

The weather has definitely changed now, the wind is blowing pretty strongly out of the northwest and the angle of the sun is getting low in the sky. I can tell because it gets hard to see down into the water making my job just a little more difficult. The sky is that crystal clear blue that we get in clear cool air. The crickets are chirping steadily in the warm afternoons and getting in the house at every opportunity.

Our youngest son Nicholas left yesterday to study in Rennes France for four months. It was very sad to see him go but at the same time a proud moment to see him able to go. Packing the night before was a project that involved the entire family. I’m sure that he has too much of some things and nowhere near enough of others but he is packed and off on the adventure of his young life. If you are interested he is writing a blog here he is planning to keep us all filled in as his trip progresses over the fall.