Greetings and welcome!
It was a great Memorial Day weekend last weekend. It rained Friday night for a little while, including a jammin’ little downpour to start it off. Fortunately that was it for the weekend for rain. We ended up having overcast days but very comfortable weather all weekend.
Not everyone was so lucky. I remember checking the radar Saturday morning and seeing areas not too far away getting pounded with rain.
It seemed a little mellower than the average Memorial Day weekend for crowds, but there were a lot of people around having a lot of fun. It looked like the Post 66 Picnic at the Silver Cliff picnic grounds was well attended, and we had a lot of people take to the rivers with Kosir’s. I saw the rescue squad go by less than usual, and hopefully that meant a safer weekend for people too.
Gas prices likely held some people back. Locally it was $3.87 for regular. When I was in Townsend/Lakewood/Carter yesterday regular was $3.99. My favorite/best mileage gas, Shell 93 no ethanol, was at a painful $4.40 a gallon. I paid $4.09 for it Friday at a different station, and I’m going that way today, so I only put in $10 to get me there.
Gas prices should see some downward pressure. The NYMEX price is about a dime off of recent lows, and still $0.40 below it’s peak on May 1. The regional prices remain a little above market price plus the normal spread, and hopefully that will drop prices a little now that the holidays have passed.
I saw a lot less ATVs than usual last weekend. I saw that the DNR was out one day and the trail patrol another, but there were only a few trucks at the trail heads. I’d look to the combination of the weather forecast and gas prices for reduced numbers of riders.
Spring is unfolding in it’s full glory now. The trees and understory of the forests are really filling in. There are trees and plants blooming everywhere. The ferns are starting to fill in now too.
Saturday morning it was kind of misty in the trees and really pretty. Chris commented on how there were as many shades of green emerging as there are colors in the fall.
The wet spring has brought a lot of bounty. The new growth on the ends of the pine and spruce trees is way above what it has been in years past. The maples are heavy with helicopters ready to drop. The trees that are in bloom are really full. Unfortunately it also looks like a bumper crop of poison ivy, so pay attention for that. The gators were present but not bad.
We have had some big weather changes in the last 24 hours. Yesterday was hot and humid, and then the cold front came through. That brought very strong winds and a sharp drop in temperatures and humidity.
We are under a strong wind advisory today with the NWS expecting gusts as high as 40 or 50mph. Right now Athelstane Weather is showing 20-30mph winds and a peak gust of 41 at midnight. It is not as windy now as it was overnight.
As far as damage it has been limited to a few dead branches from what I can tell. The power went out around midnight briefly, and again about 5am. The 5am outage lasted just long enough for me to go get the extension cord for the generator out of the shed and the power came back on. WPS line crews will no doubt have a full day today as the wind drops dead branches and trees.
The cold front brought a big change in temperatures. Yesterday I was sweating, tonight we could see patchy frost and lows in the mid-30s and I’ll be starting the wood burner.
One of my tasks today is to work on lawn mowers. The grass is officially way out of hand and it needs attention. Unfortunately, so do the lawn mowers..
It looks like we have a nice weekend ahead. After 70s today and mid-60s tomorrow a warm front is expected to lift north Friday with some showers and storms, and leave us with a nice weekend in the upper 70s and low 80s.
We have a lot of events this weekend. First of all this is Free Fishing Weekend. You can go and drown a worm without getting a license the 4th and 5th. The 4th is also Marinette County Parks free admission day. You can go and check out the waterfalls, beaches, and parks without paying the $2 entry sticker fee.
June 4th- Nicolet Plastics Fun Run
Nicolet Plastics and the Pirates of the Northwoods Parrot Head Club are sponsoring a 4 1/2 mile walk-run around Maiden Lake – This is a family friendly “fun run” or walk, with a kids run afterwards. – Several area fire departments and ambulance services, including Mountain, are the beneficiaries of this fundraiser.
I also saw a poster for an MS motorcycle ride this weekend, but can’t track it down on the net.
The rafting and paddling this weekend should be good. The rivers are still running a little above normal even though we haven’t had much rain. The Peshtigo is at a fun level where it isn’t too big or too rocky, and it seems to be holding steady. The rivers are warming up and tubing and kayaking on the flowage are fun things to do at Kosir’s now too.
That is about it for this morning. Have a good week and thank you for visiting!
RJB
I have a lot of respect for the Green Bay NWS folks, but today I’m not following their lead.. Thanks for the Friday chuckle.