Hi Folks:

Just a quick update on travel conditions on the lake Saturday in the Snake Island and Island Grove area.

Finally, the sun arrived and the temperatures rose above zero which had a positive affect on the travel conditions on the lake in the Snake Island and Island Grove area compared to last night.

The change in weather resulted in the top layer of snow becoming compacted and sticky but not slushy. This meant travel by ATV was greatly improved since Friday night with little fear of getting stuck or bogged down in snow. If the overnight temperature drops much below zero I suspect the moisture content in the snow caused by the warm temperature on Saturday will firm up the top layer of snow and result in excellent ATV travel Sunday morning, however, I would be cautious of rising temperatures on Sunday could easily result in slushy conditions so please keep this in mind.

Travel by ski-doo is still fine but warm temperatures on Sunday could result in slushy conditions so keep this in mind.

Walkers will benefit from the sunny warm conditions on Saturday which knocked down the top layer of snow which would have made walking difficult. The current sticky snow conditions will have improved walking conditions but I would recommend staying on well travelled routes. In addition, in the morning if it has been cold overnight there could be a chance of slippery conditions due to the water content in the top layer of snow freezing overnight and possibly turning to ice. Keep in mind the chance of slush on Sunday if the temperature rises much above zero. In addition, I would recommend keeping the total weight of your equipment as light as possible which should make travel in possible sticky/slushy conditions easier.

I spoke to a number of people who were out fishing on Saturday and I was advised that the bite was still slow. Personally, I hope the warmer weather will bring the fish out to play.

That's all for now, Nancy