If your like me, your dying to get on the ice...planning that first trip, hoping for lots of cold. I've still got some steelheading and deerhunting left to do, but cannot wait to fire up my new 50volt electric auger, and get on the ice. I follow this page
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ for the long range temperature forecasts. Its not right 100% of the time, but 8-14 day outlook is generally spot-on.
Now if you are looking for some historical comparisons, the fall this year has shaped up very interestingly. Our weather has been dominated by arctic air masses all year and into this fall. This most recent weather pattern has sent unusually fridgid low-level cold air flooding across the lower 48. The last time low-level cold air dumped across the country this early in November was 1976...which preceded one of the coldest winters NY has seen...the other thing that preceded the winter of '77 was the full year previous being dominated by arctic air masses.
