It’s funny to walk along the beach with open water in early January. In prior years we had significant ice along the shore by this time. This week we started to get some colder temperatures including our coldest overnight temperature yet (-20.1 according to the Wasaga Beach weather underground station). By the end of this week, we should have more ice along the shore.
Sunday, January 2nd, 2022 – It was -10C this AM according to the thermometer in the Jeep. A cold walk along the beach with steady north winds. Thankfully we were dressed for the cold weather.Sunday, January 2nd, 2021 – My mom and walking partner. This picture was taken near beach one with Mom’s fancy new iPhone. It takes better pictures than my camera! The ski slopes at Blue Mountain are in the background. Monday, January 3rd, 2021 – The ice crept noticeably further from shore today. This morning I got up early at 5 AM to drive guests down to Pearson Airport and it was -20C in Wasaga Beach. Definitely cold enough to finally get the shallow water along Georgian Bay to freeze. (In case you’re wondering about the difference from the temperature reading from the top of this post, I get my weather data from weather underground and it was the thermometer in my truck registering -20C.)Tuesday, January 5th, 2022 – Looking west across the beach from near the beachfront homes just west of 13th street. The sand is rippled but frozen solid and easy to walk on.
Wednesday, January 5th, 2022 – Today was quite mild – about two degrees around the noon hour as I walked down the beach. This picture was taken looking across the bay towards the Collingwood terminal. The blue mountains are in mist or low-lying clouds.
Thursday, January 6th, 2022 – It was -8C walking down the beach this morning. This picture was taken looking west from near Beach one.Friday, January 7th. 2022 – Classic Georgian Bay snowsqualls today. It was windy and cold with lots of snow accumulating on the beach. The sky would try and be blue as you can see in this photo, but localized snow squalls would sweep in reducing visibility. You can see a snowsquall coming in here from the west in this picture taken near 16th street. Big waves out past the shore ice.
Saturday, January 8th, 2022 – Early morning Saturday was very cold. For the first time this year, the surface of the ice froze solid. The waves finally calmed down enough for the water to freeze. There was a thin sheen of ice as far our as you could see with frozen snow chunks out in the bay.
Saturday, January 8th, 2022 – What is strange is that at the same time the day before there were a few inches of fresh snow. Today the beach was frozen solid and windswept down to frozen sand. Walking down the beach when it is this cold is like walking on concrete.
Saturday, January 8th, 2022 – Taken in the evening west of 50th street. Unlike the east of the beach which is windswept, this end was snow-covered. This snowmachine and four-wheeler were playing tag down the ice. The four-wheeler broke through the ice crossing one of the streams that exit along the beach and was seriously stuck until he was able to use his winch with the help of another snow machine to pull himself free.Saturday, January 8th, 2022 – I ended up walking back to the Recplex on the snowmobile trails where it was easier to walk. This picture was taken west from near 46th street.
