Greetings and welcome!
It is a lot colder today than it was yesterday or earlier in the week. The TV weather is showing a temperature drop of 15-25 degrees in the last 24 hours across that state. We are in the upper 40s right now, about as warm as it is expected to get over the next week or so.
The Peshtigo River is running big right now. The latest from Kosir’s and the USGS shows us at about a +25″ . The 12 year record for today is 1,740cfs, and we are running at 1,600. That is big water for sure. It is at about what looks like the peak on the graph. Based on the slope of it I wouldn’t expect it to come down much for the weekend. Right now my guess is about +20 for Saturday morning, maybe a little higher.
The weather might not be that nice this weekend, but the water levels for whitewater rafting are awesome. That is good, we are expecting a lot of people on the river this weekend, including the DPoD group, one of the crazier groups that visit Kosir’s. It should be a fun weekend on the river, but..
We have a weekend storm to watch. Right now I am seeing it coming as rain for late Friday night and early Saturday morning, changing to snow as the storm progresses east during the day Saturday. The QPF on the storm looks like between 1/2-3/4″. There is not much snow expected now, but there is a fair amount of cold air behind the storm, so I’d be ready for a surprise, like maybe as much as 3-6″ of snow Saturday.
Temperatures over the weekend look to be around 40 for Saturday and mid-40s for Sunday. Low temps should be in the upper 20s to around 30. Winds with the storm will be a factor Friday and Friday night at 15-25mph, but they are shown calming down a little for Saturday.
Sunday looks like the nice day with mostly sunny skies and mid-40s for temps.
The frogs in the pond have started up but they are having a rough week. They started with the vreep vreep last weekend a little, but then the pond froze over. They were out in force when it was warm out, only to get frozen over again. This morning the croakers are out, but the peepers remain quiet.
Yesterday I took a long cut on the way to some business around Athelstane and I got a look at a couple of county forest roads north of C. The roads are drying up pretty well. I only hit a few soft spots. There were a couple of loggers moving equipment around the sites, and it didn’t look too deep with mud. Some sheltered areas like the heavy cedar swamps still hold snow. Less sheltered areas are drying out pretty well.
Last week someone asked if ATV trails might open early. That is still very much up in the air. The drying came a long way last week, but there is still snow in places. Since it is a system wide opening decision, the least areas are the guide. I wouldn’t bet too heavy on an early start, especially looking at the temperatures on the long term outlook.
About the biggest sign of spring along my route was that some of the willow switches were starting to change color as the top growth prepared for another growing season. There were a few moths, and the standard deer and ravens.
Around the house the frost out is coming along. The wood yard is free of snow and firm enough to walk on without getting too muddy. It is almost time to get back to work out there. The driveway is good with the exception of a couple of sheltered soft spots.
There are usually not a lot of events this weekend, but there are a few..
Saturday 4/16-
Richard’s Supper Club Hwy 8 – Dunbar
Friends of the NRA Fundraiser Banquet
Starts at 5pm – Dinner at 7pm
Auction & Prize Drawings to follow
Sunday 4/17 Rene’s Dining Room by Popp’s Resort
11th Annual Iron Snowshoe Snowmobile Club Banquet
5pm cash bar – 7 pm Dinner
Gun Raffles, Prints, Cash Drawings
It has been unusually quiet around here the past couple of weeks. The roads and bars are empty of even the usual retirees. I am not sure if there was a rapture or if the mother ship came and took everyone home or what. It is usually quiet this time of year, but the past couple of weeks have been abnormally so. Support your favorite local businesses, they could use it right now.
That is about it for now. We will be watching the weather outlook for changes for the Friday/Saturday storm. I am not quite sold on the current model solutions.
Have a good weekend and thank you for visiting!
RJB