Writing novel - have questions (Bar Harbor, Mexico: live in, move, beach)

[4acadia]

I'm writing a novel that takes place in Bar Harbor. I've been several times, but never in the winter. The latest I've been in the area is mid October. I had a few questions about winter and would greatly appreciate any help.

1. When does the first snow typically come?
2. When would a "late" first snow be?
3. Are there nice days in the winter? Times when you can still be outside and enjoy the coast?
4. What is typical for mid to late December?
5. Do people still hike and walk in the winter?
6. Is snow just constant, or are there clear days in the November, December time frame. The book doesn't go past December.
7. What is the ocean like at this time and when it snows? I live in CO now and our lakes freeze, snow sits on the edges. Does this happen to the ocean? I've never seen the ocean in the snow.

Thanks for any help.

[moughie]

Southwest has some sweet deals to Manchester- how about hopping on a plane for some first hand winter experience?! Nothing like seeing with your own eyes.
I bet you could deduct the trip from the profit you will make

[Zymer]

I've rarely seen the ocean freeze. The freezing point of seawater is about 28.7°F (-1.8°C), instead of the 32°F (0°C) freezing point of ordinary water. As seawater increases 5 ppt in salinity, the freezing point decreases by 0.5°F.

The Gulf Stream carries warm water up the coast from the Gulf of Mexico and the water temp is frequently higher than the air temp. The air would have to be very cold for a long time to freeze the ocean.

When cold air cools the ocean surface to the freezing point, ice begins to form. As the ocean temperature nears the freezing point, the water density increases and the water sinks. Warmer water that replaces it must also be cooled, so more than just the ocean surface needs to reach the freezing point. Once ice begins to grow, it acts as an insulator between the ocean and atmosphere. Heat from the ocean must be conducted, or pass through, the sea ice before being emitted to the atmosphere. Ice growth slows as the ice thickens because it takes longer for the water below the ice to reach the freezing point.
The relationship between thermodynamics and sea ice thickness can be thought of most simply in terms of freezing degree days (FDD), which is essentially a measure of how cold it has been for how long. The cumulative FDD is simply daily degrees below freezing summed over the total number of days the temperature was below freezing.
The freezing temperature of ocean (saline) water is typically -1.8 degrees Celsius (28.7 degrees Fahrenheit). If the average daily temperature was -5.8 degrees Celsius (21.6 degrees Fahrenheit), this would be 4 degrees Celsius (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit) below freezing for one day, as the following equation shows:


[CENTER](-1.8) - (-5.8) = 4 degrees below freezing[/CENTER]
[CENTER]4 degrees below freezing / 1 day = 4 cumulative FDD[/CENTER]

These conditions would likely not occur in the Nov/Dec time frame you are looking at.

[4acadia]

Thank you for such a thorough answer to my ocean question! Very helpful actually.

Anyone willing to answer the questions about activity in the late October/early November time period (are people still out and about?), and snow? When does snow typically arrive and is it heavy in the Nov/Dec time period? Typically, of course.

Oh, and I'd LOVE to be there...I look at pics and miss it. But, not possible right now. The weather is a backdrop for the story, not a central piece...I just want to be somewhat accurate : )

Thanks!!

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by 4acadia

I'm writing a novel that takes place in Bar Harbor. I've been several times, but never in the winter. The latest I've been in the area is mid October. I had a few questions about winter and would greatly appreciate any help.

1. When does the first snow typically come?
2. When would a "late" first snow be?
3. Are there nice days in the winter? Times when you can still be outside and enjoy the coast?
4. What is typical for mid to late December?
5. Do people still hike and walk in the winter?
6. Is snow just constant, or are there clear days in the November, December time frame. The book doesn't go past December.
7. What is the ocean like at this time and when it snows? I live in CO now and our lakes freeze, snow sits on the edges. Does this happen to the ocean? I've never seen the ocean in the snow.

Thanks for any help.

I'll take a shot since I live across the bridge from "the island", and know Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park pretty well in all seasons.

1. First snow? Typically sometime in December, and it could well be in any amount. There is NO "typically" in Maine. We had three feet of snow in December this year in three major storms and two small ones, and for the past decade, rarely more than a few inches during the month.

2. A "late" first snow would be sometime in February. Not having any snow in December is not at all uncommon. I have lived in this part of Maine since 1977 as a regular, and as a full time resident since 1990. Usually there will be at least a little snow at some point in December. Now, bear in mind that while it might snow, four days later, the sun could be out bright and shining, and the air temps could rise and all the snow would be melted away to bare ground over a day or so.

3. Of course! Many just because it isn't summer doesn't mean that people hybernate here. The winter is mostly beautiful days although the temperature can be brisk. Acadia National Park is closed to vehicular traffic, but people still walk on the roads through the park, as well as cross country ski. The only reason that the ocean might not be very approachable at times in winter would be because there is ice built up on the granite surfaces of cliffs or rocks on the shore that would make walking hazardous.

4. typical temperature? Anywhere from zero to forty five is "typical" for mid to late December. About a dozen years ago, I was completing an outside painting project on December 12, and had four hours of mid day with temperatures just over fifty. Not "regular" but it does happen.

5. Yes. And cross country ski.

6. November and December are actually "late fall". The first day of winter is December 21. Through November and December it is very often just bright and clear with little wind and cooling temperatures. About the only real certainty is that it is very hard considering going for a brisk dip in the ocean in November and December. For the purposes of your book, if you think in terms of keeping the day time high temperature below forty, you can make the weather whatever you want. Want a blizzard on December 10th? Well, it could happen. Want two inches of snow that turns to freezing rain and ice, yes. Want a scene where the evil rapist looks out his back window to see the beautiful, buxom wife of the druggist sunbathing in the very warm sunlight sheltered from the cool wind? Yes, it can happen in December....not usual, but it has happened.

As a side note, most airfields in Maine have their main runways running northwest to southeast. The reason for that is that the predominant winds in Maine are from the northwest. Therefore, the strong winds of fall and winter will blow from that direction, with southerly breezes during the warmer months. The northwest winds will bring down cold air from Canada, and as the season progresses into November and December, it is usual for the air to become colder. Along the east coast, the famous "Nor'easters" that we get are storms that develop in the midwest, or in the Gulf of Mexico, or perhaps the south Atlantic coastline, and move up the coast into the Gulf of Maine. These are low pressure areas that have a counter clockwise air flow, and hence when the winds come ashore along the Maine coast, they are blowing from the northeast. A typical 'nor'easter' will last from a few hours to several days. In the fall, a storm like this might actually be a hurricane, but the hurricane season actually ends in early November. A storm of this sort in November or December would be a bit unusual, but it could be a major storm with much snow or rain, and wind.

7. The ocean is quite usually calm during snowstorms, unless the storm is a big one with a lot of wind. Not all snow storms feature strong winds, which has pretty much been the case with snowstorms this year. When the snow merely falls on the ocean, visibility across the water will drop quite dramatically, and sometimes will extend only a few feet or so in heavy snow. The snow merely melts when it hits the water, but snow will build up along the shoreline to considerable thickness until the tide comes in again, and the snow will be melted away up to the point of high tide. While it is true that salt water...the ocean itself....won't freeze, water close to shore may freeze due to other considerations. I live on a bay that is quite long and about three miles wide overall. The bay is fed at one end by a river, and thus there is a considrable amount of fresh water that flows into the ocean out in front of my home. I have seen this bay frozen from shore to shore on numerous occasions. What is necessary is real sub-zero temperatures overnight with no wind, and day time highs not more than about twenty or so. One winter I saw the ice sticking up on the big rocks on the shore, broken by the retreating 9 foot tide, and the ice blocks were more than three feet thick. The salt water had been diluted enough to freeze. So you could well see a small inlet along the ocean frozen out quite a distance due to fresh water flowing down, in a brook, for instance.

[Maine Writer]

An important question to consider - what part of Maine?

[elston]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

An important question to consider - what part of Maine?

In the opening post the author says the novel is set in Bar Harbor.

What great information you guys all came up with; I found it really fascinating about the effect of the fresh water flowing into the bays and inlets and the details of the weather along the mid coastal area!

When I lived in New England, I used to love to go walk on the beach in winter and especially enjoyed looking into the water and seeing the green sea weed and algae and life going on about its business, impervious to the winter that was happening just beyond the boarders of its watery world. It was like standing on the threshold between two worlds.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by elston

In the opening post the author says the novel is set in Bar Harbor.

I thought maybe the characters ventured out, but probably not.

[4acadia]

Acadianlion,
Thank you so much for your answers. They are very helpful. I'm especially glad to hear it doesn't typically snow until December and that people are still active.

I understand misconceptions people can have about an area.

Again, thank you!!

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by 4acadia

Acadianlion,
Thank you so much for your answers. They are very helpful. I'm especially glad to hear it doesn't typically snow until December and that people are still active.

I understand misconceptions people can have about an area.

Again, thank you!!

You are very welcome! Remember the old Maine saying: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute!" It's true!