Total snowmelt for our station this past week is 0.71 inches with 0.85 inches for the month of December to date and 30.09 inches of total precipitation year-to-date (93% - 98% of normal from last year). Total snowfall this week is 7.0 inches. Total snowpack depth this morning is 10.75 inches with a melted value of 1.21 inches. Temperatures have ranged from about -18°F below zero to the high 20’s. The past week in Oak Grove has been characterized by a transition to significantly colder winter conditions. Temperatures were more moderate with highs in the high 20s early in the week before a winter storm moved through the area around Tuesday and Wednesday (December 9-10), bringing a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain followed by a cold front that brought temperatures down sharply to about -18°F below zero Sunday morning. Agricultural activity in the fields is currently dormant due to the frozen ground and snow cover, and the active growing season has ended. Deciduous trees like the native bur oak, maples, and elms are bare with the Conifers such as pines and spruces providing the main splashes of green. Native prairie plants and grasses in natural areas are brown and dormant beneath the snow. The cardinals, chickadees, and woodpeckers are regularly seen visiting feeders. Conditions are now favorable for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, and snowmobiling on park trails and hills along with ice forming on local bodies of water like Lake George. We are ending the week with a clear, deep blue sky, crisp air, and calm winds with near normal to mildly dry conditions.