Late spring snow

When I came back from Germany on Sunday it snowed. On Monday and Tuesday some snow fell, too. And so it did today. In the morning a snow shower arrived that was so severe, that everything was white again after a short time. It was quite unbelievable that we have the 10th of May!

Winter in the midst of May

Anyway just like the last days today’s snow melted away quite soon and two hours later it was gone. Hardly believable that this short winter-intermezzo had taken place today.

But the conditions here are nothing compared to other places:

  • In Katterjåkk in the Swedish mountains there’s still 183 cm of snow.
  • On the mountain Mannen (1294 m) in Rauma, Norway it’s almost twice as much: 359 cm!
  • The German mountain Zugspitze (m) tops it with 410 cm today!
  • Oh yes – I almost forget – Fonna near Jondal in Norway is a sure bet for snow. 500 cm at 1200m, 800 cm at 1450 m!

So, compared to other places we already have Spring in Skelleftehamn despite of the snow showers and the low temperatures. Let’s see how it will be in six weeks. That’s midsummer!

A short look at Storgrundet

I woke up at 5:45. That’s quite early even for me. On the other side it would be much too late for photographers who love sunrise, because the sun had been risen already at 3:36.

I took the car to Storgrundet to check the ice. I guess, half of the ice is gone, the other half is grey and instable. I guess, the remaining ice is soon gone. Then I can start paddling without being surrounded by ice.

Anyway temperatures were down to -3 °C and it was quite windy at the coast. This still felt more wintry than springlike.

Storgrundet I – here mostly openStorgrundet II – here mostly ice-covered

Returning home

I’m home again in Skelleftehamn and to my big surprise all snow round the house has been melted away, even the big snow piles in the front yard. Only in the shadow of my neighbours garage there’s still a patch left. When I had left the house 12 days ago there had been at least 20 cm of snow in the backyard.

Today I travelled back from Munich and from the airplane Stockholm—Skellefteå it looked more wintry than in Skelleftehamn. Almost all lakes were still completely covered with ice and there still was a closed snow cover in some forests, in the shadow or on north-facing slopes. The big fields however were free of snow and of an autumn-like brown, since hardly anything has started to green, neither grass nor the birches. Spring still hasn’t arrived yet.

View from the plane somewhere in Skellefteå municipality

Right after the airport bus started its tour to town a strong snow shower poured down and within a minute the ground was white again. But although temperatures are still quite chilly with temperatures round 0 °C such snow doesn’t last long.

Strong snow shower

In Skellefteå I had to wait 45 minutes for the bus home. I was glad of my fleece jacket. And my light-weighted down jacket. And my soft-shell. And my woollen cap. I put it all on while waiting for the bus. What a chilly contrast to the weather in Bavaria the day before, that not only was quite sunny but also up to 20 °C warmer.

Spring birds

What a late spring we got this year. Still the seasons feels quite wintry and many of the fields and meadows are still covered with snow, only partly and slowly being defrosted by the spring sun.

Partly defrosting fieldSnow covered field

The migrant birds however had started to fly northwards already – first the Whooper swans and geese, then the Common cranes.

Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus)Common crane (Grus grus)

I caught another bird by chance in mid-air and asked for help on Facebook not knowing what kind of bird it was.

A flying smew (Mergellus albellus)

This flying fellow is a Smew and according to the comments on Facebook I got it seems to be quite rare here. A photographical chance hit.

Since I was already quite near Bjuröklubb on my “bird hunt” I took the last 12 kilometres to the parking place at this peninsula. Parts of the northern bay Gärdviken was still covered with ice – apparently thick enough to bare the two ice fishers who sat or lay upon it. But round the eastern part that is more exposed to the sea the water was open, only some ice floes that stranded at the shallow shore indicated that summer is still some months away.

Last seasons ice floes at Bjuröklubb

Translations:

EnglishGermanSwedishLatin
Whooper swanSingschwanSångsvanCygnus cygnus
Common craneKranichTranaGrus grus
SmewZwergsägerSalskrakeMergellus albellus

April weather – part 3

Snow showerSnowing on a small treeSnowing on a big tree

I guess we had more days with snowfall in April than in January, but the sun has enough power to melt away the snow in a quite short time. But the next chilly night may come and bring another snow shower …

Packed ice on the Baltic Sea

Most of the Baltic Sea seams to be open, but that’s mostly near the coast. There are still huge ice covered areas, moved around by the wind. One day a coastal area may be open, the next day completely covered with ice floes.

Since the last nights were quite cold the ice floes partly froze together giving the illusion, that the sea would be covered with a layer of solid ice but no, the new ice between the floes is young and weak and wouldn’t bare you. I myself broke through this morning when taking pictures but directly at the coast, were the water is very shallow and I landed in only 20 cm deep water. No problem with rubber boots but I wouldn’t have dared it without good knowledge of this part of the coast.

Ice covered Baltic Sea in mid-April

April weather

It snowed, dark clouds sped past the coast, the sun illuminated the fresh snow and the gusty wind blew it around. The weather changed constantly this morning. The wind squalls made the temperatures of -3 °C appear much colder and I regretted that I went outside without windproof trousers and warm gloves. That’s the post-wintry release of Norrlands April weather.

April weather at the coastBlowing snow above the icy groundThe sun hiding behind the clouds

The easter days shall be wintry as well with temperatures between -8 °C and 0 °C, at least here in Skelleftehamn. In the mountains however they’ll probably drop to -20 °C or even below.

 

Tussilago 2017

It almost became a tradition: take photos of the first local spring flower and share them in my blog. And as every year the winner is tussilago. These samples I photographed yesterday in Skelleftehamn.

Tussilago ITussilago II

What spring flowers blossom at your place?