103rd February May 14 2017

Today morning was the 103rd February. It has been so cold and snowy the night and morning that I refused to call it 14th May.

Some random photos, taken between 6 and 7 o’clock where temperatures had started being above zero again:

Gåsören in the distance, half hidden in the snow

It took the sun some time to melt away the late snow, but this evening most of the snow was gone and I was content to call today’s date 14th May again.

Winter is finally gone. Winter is gone? Well, if you’ll look at the photos below you see that most of the lake Rudtjärnen is still covered with ice and that due to the cold temperatures this evening even the open parts starts to freeze over again.

But hey, that’s part of Spring, too. So I just say: winter is finally gone! Am I right? We’ll see …

Well, Spring, we’re waiting … May 13 2017

Another snow shower in Skelleftehamn. On ~~102nd February~~ 13th May! Winter is stubborn this year.

One and a half hours later … still snowing …

Next morning: In the night it was snowing strongly and the temperature was round 0°C. At 5 o’clock 8 cm of snow covered the car, the roof and the grass in the garden. But it already had been starting to get warmer and the snow had started to melt. That’s the ugly side of snow weather. I guess in the afternoon the snow will have melted away completely.

And then, Spring? It’s your turn. Show, what you can!

Late spring snow May 10 2017

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!

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 May 8 2017

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 II – here mostly ice-covered

Returning home May 7 2017

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.

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.

April weather Apr 13 2017

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.

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.

Early April weather (a short log book) Apr 5 2017

Friday, 31 Mars: I rehearsed for next days jazz concert with AÅO Trio and Hans Åkesson and it was sunny in Skellefteå.

Saturday, 1 April: I played that concert at the very same place and it snowed. April weather!

Sunday, 2 April: It continued snowing and a new layer of 5 cm of snow covered Skelleftehamn. What a nice birthday present for a winter lover like me!

Still Sunday: While the ice fishing season in Skelleftehamn is finally over, the ice fishers on the big lake Burträsket beside the town Burträsk took advantage of the last days of save ice. And it was many of them!

Monday, 3 April: We had a great late winter day with blue sky above our heads and fresh, white snow under our feet, when we took a promenade along the river Skellefteälven. We – that’s not only Annika and me but also my mother who visited me for some days. It was the first time that she came outside of the summer months and I’m really glad that she got some nice winter impressions.

Yesterday, 4. April: Yesterday it was almost 13 °C in town.

Today, 5. April: it was colder and partly cloudy, but we got a fantastic sundown. What a colourful contrast to the dull weather the ice fishers had experienced.

And the weather next weekend? Well, I don’t know and the weather institute neither. That’s two weekend forecasts of the SMHI – the 1st from Monday afternoon, the 2nd from Tuesday morning:

Forecast for the weekend as shown on 3 April, 16:03

Forecast for the weekend as shown on 4 April, 06:42

Home again Mar 2 2017

This article is part of the series “2017-02: Northern Norway”.

After a fantastic two week journey through the wintry Northern Norway Annika and I have arrived in Skelleftehamn today. But before I could park my car on my property we had a bit work to do: skotta snö – snow shovelling. A lot of snow came the last days and especially the 70 cm high plogkanten – the hard pressed snow of the snowplough – gave a good workout. I guess that 60-70 cm of snow lie on my backyard now, but I didn’t have measured yet.

“Plogkanten” – weather and snowplough left a lot of snow on my property

In Sweden people use to say “borta bra men hemma bäst” which means “being away is good, being home is best”. I however like to be home but I’m fond of travelling at least equally and one of the reasons why I live in Northern Sweden is that it simplifies travelling to all known and unknown places in Northern Scandinavia.

Addendum

We arrived too early. We had an appointment in Skellefteå in the evening and when we came back two hours later, someone has taken away all the snow on and round my garage driveway. I guess, it was a neighbour. I have to find out who it was to thank him or her.

Slippery When Wet Feb 13 2017

We got roller coaster weather again. Yesterday morning we had -15 °C and in the evening about +3 °C.

Today Annika, two friends and I made an excursion to Kågnäsudden onto the ice. It was even warmer than yesterday (+7°C) and quite windy. The surface of the thick ice was very wet with many puddles of clear ice water and the structure looked like the rippled sand of the tidal flats in Northern Germany. The wind gusts blew tiny ripples over the large meltwater pools and it looked like the ice shield would reach as far as Finland.

But no – it didn’t. The wind and the waves had started to break the ice. We crossed the ice and went to the near island Kågnäshällan. We all were equipped with either spikes or snowshoes to be able to go on the slippery, wet ice.

Right behind the seaside shore of Kågnäshällan we could see the waves lifting and lowering the ice and finally breaking it apart. The rocks round the light tower were bare of ice – too warm was this season’s winter weather.

The lighthouse on the islet Kågnäshällan

Along the rocky shore lay large blocks of ice. They glittered in the sun because they were wet and free of snow.

Icy landscape along the rocky coast of Kågnäshällan

These ice floes were found everywhere. Along the coast but even between the small alder trees further on land. I guess that one of the high water levels this winter had flushed these ice floes ashore where they razored the bark from the thin tree trunks.

And the winter on land? Less and less snow – much too warm – I’m longing for colder weather and snow. Probably it will come in the beginning of May …

Light snow fall in the sun Feb 9 2017

This morning the temperatures were round -12 °C, it was cloudy and snow fell. The snow looked like crystalline down feathers and was so light and fluffy that you could easily blow it away. Around noon the sun came out, but it didn’t snow snowing. This is probably one of my favourite winter weather sensations and I love the look of the sunlit glittering and glistening snow flakes slowly sinking down, covering the ground with a gentle layer of white, fresh snow.