Warm thoughts and cold reality

Had a chance to spend Valentine's Day afternoon skiing with my wife, Cathy. What a great way to spend an afternoon. It certainly does not get any better than that. An afternoon on the slopes with the one you love followed up with a cozy evening in front of the fireplace.

That certainly warmed my heart. On the other end of the spectrum is some cold reality. I just read that Lake Erie is now frozen over. This has not occurred since the winter of 1995-96. This translates into a 241 mile stretch of ice. Lake Erie, with an average depth of 62 feet is the most shallow of the Great Lakes, which is why it is the only one that completely freezes over.

Since lake-effect snow depends on warmer lake temperatures compared to the air, the ice cover will deter large amounts of snowfall to the downwind side of the lake. I am sure Al Gore predicted such an event.