So true-- people that don't understand the power of the heat sink of Superior is - never believe me about when I go Mother's Day weekend up there ( MN fishing opener usually) and still 1-2' of snow in woods in a good winter. Iowans think I'am totally nuts. How about 1936--- (1950 was likely later, but not on record) ice out on Gunflint Lake was on June 3rd 1936. Lakes E of there like Greenwood and Moose/Mountain along the CAN border likely were several days later in 1950. Imagine a family from Iowa or Illinois having planned a "summer" trip at a resort up there in 1950 in early June only to find the bigger lakes still locked in ice. Justine Kerfoot -- one of the founders of Gunflint Lodge on Gunflint is on record of WALKING across GunFlint Lake to CAN on Jun 1st 1936.True story if you take the time. Funny thing is --- July of 1936 -- for those that know, polar opposite . I often wonder what the MJO and other teleconnetions were that year of 1936. Holy Smokes.

The 12z NAM run looks to initially be warmer in Texas and Oklahoma, we'll see how it plays out.

I’m in the metro so lakes north of town freeze up earlier, but usually there are people on the ice by the beginning of December. ATVs by Christmas. We don’t get the snow Michigan gets, but we sure get the cold.

Good morning all! Its cooolllllldd this morning, brrr. 3 degrees right now and feels like -4.

The other quirk most people don't know about Minnesota's north shore of superior is that it is mostly a SE/SSE facing ridgeline. Some years with a few sunny days in high 20s for the most of the region in late feb can meltdown all the snow along the shoreline due to increasing sun strength and the marine like influence of the open lake. My dad tells the story often of the first time he and his group went on a snowmobile trip staying "up the hill" from Grand Marais. This was in the late 80's so there was no internet, they had to take the resorts word that they had snow. The resort owner said they had lots of snow, meanwhile nearly all of Minnesota had nothing that year. They drove through Duluth with not a snow pile to be seen, up HWY 61 running along the shoreline to Silver Bay there is nothing. By the time they get into Grand Marais, a few slushy piles of snow. They turn up the road to Devil's Track Lake and in within a few miles up the Gunflint Trail there is massive snowbanks along the roadside and 3' of snow in the woods. The poor deer who didn't yard up by the lake, were up to their necks if they jumped off the trails. I have never seen it this dramatic myself, but have seen it go from bare ground to a foot plus of snow from lake shore to up the hill.