November 6, 2021. It's quite common here on the east coast of Newfoundland to not have lingering snow or cold temperatures until February or later. This season started out like many before with our first snowfall at the beginning of November which only lasted a day or so before melting.

December 9, 2021. This trend continued through early December with small snowfalls lasting only a few hours after sunrise. On the 9th we had this early season flurry which dumped enough to warrant dragging out the Snowblower.

December 19, 2021. Fortunately temperatures finally dropped, that snowfall lingered for a couple weeks and things finally started to freeze up in the country. We weren't getting much snow, but that was great as it allowed ponds, gullies, puddles and bogs to freeze without the insulating factor snowfall creates. We were looking forward to a winter with well frozen ground before heavy snow arrived!

January 4, 2022. Our normal winter trend continued into the new year with a great little storm just after the holidays.

January 14, 2022. Unfortunately that joy was short lived. Just a few days later, the first of an outdoorsman's soul killing series of weather events were unleashed on the east coast melting all of our snow and started to take ice on the ponds with it.

January 23, 2022. Although there was much less frost in the ground than in December, a storm near the end of the month was a welcome sight with the opening day of ice fishing rapidly approaching.

January 28, 2022. Although this snow stuck around for about a week, the good news was about to end with another torrential rainfall and high winds forecast for Saturday. I took advantage of a narrow weekend weather window to test out my new Hot Tent Friday night just before the weather turned.

January 30, 2022. By Sunday all the snow was gone, rivers were raging and ice broke out of many bodies of water as nearly 100mm of rain just pummelled the east coast.

February 1, 2022. By opening day of winter trouting a couple days later flood waters had mostly resided but the damage was done. There was mostly open water in the country, and what little ice remained on smaller bodies of water was terribly unsafe.

February 4, 2022. The following week our torture continued except rain was replaced by freezing rain. Trees and power lines were coated in a thick layer of ice, thankfully we were spared widespread damage and power outages as no wind accompanied this weather system.

February 6, 2022. The freezing rain turned to rain the following day which immediately turned back to snow overnight. Sunday morning was an absolute mess as wet heavy snow covered the ground, and everything above ground that was soaking wet Saturday evening was now frozen solid with the flash freeze.

February 12, 2022 trouting trip. Making the best of the winter trouting season casting from shore!

February 14, 2022. Valentine's Day brought the first major snow event of the season which saw back to back storms Sunday night and Monday night dump over 40cm of fresh powder in our area.

February 15, 2022. The second part of the storm was more intense than the first and dropped the majority of the snowfall. It also brought high winds drifting the snow into tall banks, winter was finally back!

February 19, 2022. I didn't even get a chance to take project 6x6 out for a snow run in the fresh powder as a busy work schedule took up my evenings. Of course by the time the weekend came around, so did the next downhill run of this roller coaster winter weather when more rain melted all of the snow all over again. As of now the ponds in our area are unbelievably unsafe to even walk on, it will be a miracle if we can salvage an ice fishing season out of this yet. Time will tell!

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith