Cisco Sonar

The Bear Lake Spring

By Bryce Nielson, The Cisco Kid

As you walk outside you can now feel the warmth of the sun.  It may be approaching 80F as the rest of the valleys are broiling with temperatures up to 100F.  Memories of four feet of unending snow are slowly leaving your mind. 

Do you remember Spring?  If you are like me, you can’t define when it was or much about it.  I remember putting my garden in only to have the seeds sit in cold soil.  I am still waiting for some of them to come up.  I was concerned how the raspberry growers would fare with the near freezing temperatures in early June.  I remember some nice days but during that time I was focused on watching Bear Lake rise to its maximum manmade level.  I fretted about how a lake with thin beaches would change the way the summer visitors acted. Then summer arrived with the warm rainless days that persist now.

The Bear Lake Valley has never been known for its beautiful springs.  People think that it’s the elevation, bad luck or miserable weather systems but the reason for no spring weather is in front of us.  We have all looked at the valley as we come off the Logan Canyon summit on our way home.  If you think about it, what we actually see, is a valley of water.  

The Lake covers up to 72,000 surface acres (the Brianhead fire just recently passed 50,000 surface acres) or 112 square miles.  I don’t know how much flat or gently sloping land there is around the lake but it is insignificant when compared to the Lake.   Bear Lake is responsible for the weather here.  In April and May, is it retaining the cold of the previous winter months.  By the time it warms up it is summer and spring is long gone.  Our summers are not hot with the Lake’s air conditioning keeping days typically in the 80’s and cool nights.  Great for growing raspberries.  The warming water starts to evaporate and untold cubic feet of water vapor goes in the sky.  This creates a tumbling effect on the passing air currents that create thunder clouds and unpredictable winds.  These localized events become common in August as the whole system warms.  September is the least windy month of the year as we drift into autumn, which is fabulous.  With dropping temperatures as winter comes in the Lake still, keeps us warm.  Then the valley fills with fog and we all know what happens next.  The lake level is 5922.24’ now with over 1000 cfs still coming in.  The maximum elevation is 5923.65.  Soon evaporation will equal inflow and the peak will have been reached.

The lack of beaches hasn’t seemed to affected how many people come here so far.  They all love Bear Lake.  So, I guess it is how you look at it.  Long cold winters with no spring or cool summers and a great fall.  If you are going to live year around at Bear Lake you need to prepare for the weather.  If not, just come up when it is nice.  Let’s all enjoy the variability of seasons that Bear Lake has to offer.