A "traditional" cold New Hampshire winter is making a brief appearance. The pond hockey tourney has been postponed to March due to lack of solid ice. (In the 1880s, when the game started, 6" of ice was around in NOVEMBER when they held the games!!!). The ice runway on Alton Bay in Lake Winnipesaukee, the only registered ice airstrip in the US, announced it would not be opened this year, again due to lack of ice. This is likely to be one of the latest "ice-in" dates on record, if at all. A solid foot-ish snow base is giving local XC sports some exercise, and protecting local wildlife and fauna under an insulated blanket. Temps this weekend are expected to be in the -15°F to -20°F range, which we hope will limit the invasive bark beetles, fuzzy moths and other ecological threats.

As for water, January's total was twice the PRISM average (6.47" vs. 3.20") and December's 150% (6.63" v. 4.24") catching up on a dry October and November for 122% of average for the first four months of the water year. Hoping we can retain the water as snowpack for a while for a healthy spring meltoff.