New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Ice Looking Nice for Some Early Season Ice Fishing

Monday 12/09/2013

Last Wednesday I drove along route 4 past Northwood Lake and was surprised to see it totally ice covered. Our local farm ponds have been through three freeze then thaw ice cycles this fall and although the small ponds had refrozen I didn't think it had been cold enough for the lake to freeze. But it sure looks like good ice is headed our way this winter. I would say five of the last seven years we have had very late ice including last winter so to see ponds freezing early is a welcoming change. The winter of 2012 we hardly had any safe ice as I recall.

Over the last three days we have had our first snow fall covering the ground enough to stay the day. At least on the grassy surfaces. So maybe even our snow is here to stay the winter. There is just something special about a white Christmas so I sure hope we can keep our snow another three weeks. For the most part nearly statewide we have been in a snow drought this fall. Ski areas are making snow but there has been little on the ground based on what I have been hearing.

I was talking with someone from Woodstock last week who said she has had a crust cap of snow for a couple of weeks. Really more ice-like than snow. So I'm wondering if the rain/snow line for many winter storms has not moved up the state a bit.

Growing up in Londonderry we almost always had snow in December. My father worked at Logan Airport and would say that there was bare ground south of Salem NH many of those years. By around 2000 it seemed like the rain/snow line had migrated up to Manchester. We would have snow here in Epsom but a short drive to Manchester would show mostly bare ground after many of our storms. Then the last few years it seemed like the line was up into the Lake Region. I would get rain to slush here with a good snow coating especially on the north side of Lake Winnipesaukee. And now maybe the snow versus rain or slushy snow line has moved up to just below Franconia Notch for many of our storms.

With climate change our winters have warmed on average some four degrees since 1970! Yes in my life time our winters have warmed and to a degree snow has disappeared for much of the winter months based on my own observations.

So some December snow bringing us a white Christmas would be a welcome sight for me. Like the Good Old Days. Wait... for the most part in my life that is RIGHT NOW. Yes life is good. And to watch the snow fly today has me giddy and excited about the season and life in general. Yes I'm having a good day just watching the chick-a-dees flick to my feeder as the snow filters down from the sky.