After snow storms that added feet to our snow cover, we got the usual January thaw one week earlier than usual. Temperatures went to 50f over night and we got about two inches of rain. Here is bridge bravo on the local trail. It is inundated with water, which is ironic since this area was bone-dry last August. The stream proceeds from the bridge under our local road and the culvert has a steady outflow on the other side of the road, see second image.
The height of snow banks has been greatly reduced with the combined thawing and rain. The mailbox was barely above a four foot wall of ice and snow; it now has a foot at most lying at its base.
We have not been able to venture into the back woods since late December. We did one minor patrol using snowshoes last weekend. We will be able to get out on the trails tomorrow and probably will not need snow shoes but crampons are a possibility. Temperatures are forecast to go back to zero overnight.
Our annual visit to Mystic at year end / new year was COLD this year! The sun still sets over the Mystic River and Morgan Point in Noank on the last and first days of the year.
