Rain is a killer for the rivers. However snow doesn't hurt as bad as it does the lakes. the snow gets wet and freezes making more ice on the river, snow ice but ice!. As long as there is a base of ice for the snow to sit on. Rising tides floods the surface of the ice thru the stress cracks wetting the snow creating ice. That is why in the middle of the season when you walk thru snow to go smelting there is usually just ice on the ice without snow. The snow gets converted to snow ice.
I usually go smelting more if access to the lakes is a pain because of deep snow. Hasn't been a problem for a while but this year could be shaping up to be a tough get around without a snow machine if this pattern keeps up. I heard up to 24" for Sat night-Sunday.
I'm hating shoveling already.
Spike
