Well…another rain, thaw and freeze cycle has rolled through ilsnow land. Most places in New York State and even into the Adirondacks have been wiped out.
But ilsnow land is still hanging on to some of that November bounty with a hard and icy trail base. The house has burnt down, but the foundation remains.
If you go into the snow bowls of south-central Hamilton County, there is still about 12-18 inches of crusty snow pack. Around Indian Lake, the pack ranges from burnt in some exposed areas to 6-12 inches:
This week
Update 1/3/2019: No big snow falls coming up for the next several days, but a general 3-4 inch snowfall we got Wednesday night into Thursday morning is enough to springs die-hards loose for some action in Perkins Clearing and Moose River Plains. For a local, one could even slither around the Indian Lake and Speculator trails this week with caution. As far as I know, the Newcomb trail is still being plowed for logging, so probably not worth the bother.
The Weekend
Unfortunately, true to form: Another mild spell is expected to hit us Friday and Saturday. But thankfully, we may catch a break and have the next rain event pass south of us:
With the meager conditions we have now, this would seem like a very small win. But at this stage of the game, we’ll take any win we can get.
Any hope at all for next week?
Another significant storm is expected to roll its way through the Great Lakes early next week. Sounds like the same old story, but there may be a new twist with a strong Canadian High firmly maintaining its ground Monday night into Tuesday:
That Canadian High would be an important player, locking in enough cold air to offer considerable resistance to the oncoming mild air from the Ohio Valley. This development MAY give ilsnow land the opportunity for a significant snowfall prior to any change-over to sleet/freezing rain.
Admittedly, this possible event is still several days away and we all know how the outlook can change drastically as we approach the event. But when you’re facing 3rd and 15 from your own 20 yard line, it’s time to grip-it, rip-it and throw the deep ball when you see an opportunity to get back into the game.
After that?
I can hear the questions now: Is the Polar Vortex going to set up by mid-January? Is it going to stay cold from mid-January into April?
Wrong questions! Let’s score a touchdown before we worry about how long it might stick around. If we don’t get any meaningful snow before mid-January, it ain’t gonna matter how cold or how mild it is, anyway.
Trail Closure in Sabael
The C8/Sabael Trail south of Pashley Road has been closed by a property owner, severing the Indian Lake-Speculator connection:
All I have been told directly is that the Town of Indian Lake has been in active discussion with the property owner to re-open the trail.
At this point, I can only hope the trail will be re-opened as early as possible.
Bottom line:
We got a whole bunch of things that need to go right for us before we can get up to mid-winter par around here in ilsnow land.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Pilot Knob Marina in Lake George. Just get off Northway I-87 Exit 20, then follow NY Route 149 East until you hit the junction of NY Route 149 and Bay Road. Pilot Knob Marina features a wide selection of new and pre-owned Arctic Cat snowmobiles & ATVs. If you see Nick Barber, tell him that Darrin @ ilsnow.com sent ya!
