Spring this year seems to be right on time

Bare ground is showing up in spots such as underneath trees in Nolalu this morning

On this official first day of spring, conditions in Northwestern Ontario seem to be on track for a normal thaw. Daytime highs are slightly above freezing and nighttime lows are slightly below.
Here in the Nolalu area, which is south and west of Thunder Bay, we have already lost about two-thirds of our snow.
Areas to the north, such as Red Lake,are not as advanced but the process is taking place there as well.
Everywhere in the Northwest received either a normal or below-normal snowfall last winter. That would have been two to three feet of snow. The gradual melting conditions means flooding is unlikely anywhere.
It was more or less a normal winter although February was colder than usual. This, plus the usual amount of snow, has also meant more or less normal ice thicknesses. In most areas that will have been about three feet.
Fast-flowing rivers will have started melting already but slower ones and all the lakes haven't even begun yet. First we need to get rid of the snow.
We've been blessed so far in March to have escaped the heavy snowfalls that have hit Eastern Canada and the U.S. Every new snow sets back the melting process.
Ice-out will, as always, depend on the weather from here on out. If it stays in the normal range, ice-out on Red Lake would occur in the vicinity of May 8, give or take a week. That would be a welcome start to the season for us after the past two near-record-late ice-outs.
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