What happened at
Stony Lake?


Temperatures recorded hourly (°C)

Except for a few weeks in November and December, the CottageCam computer managed to record the air temperature and take a picture every hour for the entire winter 2000-2001. It wasn't always a pretty picture. But usually, it was.

As the days got shorter, the temperatures dropped and on September 29, at 1:00 am, the temperature fell to 0°C for the first time last winter. Remarkably, October remained mild, with only a couple of frosty nights and a number of warm days.

The familiar strip of green across the lake showed patches of red as the leaves changed, and the birch in the foreground would soon be bare.

By late November, ice and snow were filling the scene. Still, in early December, a sunny day would bring open water with a few chunks of ice.



From the middle of November until early March, it was rare for the mercury to climb above the freezing point. The coldest temperature was recorded on the morning of January 2, a bone-chilling -24°C. On January 20th, it happened again.

Last summer, we built a garage with a winterized apartment, so we were able to visit the lake in the winter for the first time. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of the frozen lake and spend the night in the snug comfort of our warm loft.

The camera and computer had problems with the cold, so they were moved to the comfort of the loft as well. The view changed, but the lake was still visible through the trees.

Hour by hour, the camera recorded winter storms and sunny days. The boughs were often heavy with snow and ice, but they would spring back as soon as the sun warmed them.



Throughout March, the lake would be white in the morning, but often have patches of blue open water in the late afternoon. By March 23, a channel through the ice was clearly visible in the afternoon sunshine.

On April 8th, there was still snow on the ground in the morning, but by afternoon, it had completely melted. A cheer went up from the remote viewers. Spring had arrived at the cottage.

On May 3 the temperature climbed to 28.5°C in the early afternoon. It seemed as if summer arrived before spring had much of a chance.

The camera recorded about 5,000 Jpeg images from August 2000 to June 2001, occupying 75 Megabytes of disk space. I hope you enjoy the little summary I have on show here.




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