river talk

A white Christmas?

By SCOTT RANDO

Posted 12/23/25

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river talk

A white Christmas?

RR photos by Scott Rando

This winter landscape is the Lackawaxen River, taken from the Two Rivers Anglers Café in Lackawaxen, PA. Ice is trying to claim the rapids that are a feature of this portion of the river, and the ice downstream appears to have raised the river level somewhat. Wintering eagles can be seen in the vicinity; the boat launch parking lot is a good spot to find eagles during the winter.

RR photos by Scott Rando

This is Walker Lake in Shohola, PA, in early December, looking north. This was taken just after a six-inch snowfall. Other than some isolated power outages that were caused by Northwest winds as the storm departed, there was no damage. Notice that there are some dark spots on the ice covering the lake. The lake has only been frozen for a couple of days, and the dark spots are especially thin. Take care when ice fishing on any lake.

RR photos by Scott Rando

This is an aerial shot of the Delaware River, looking downstream toward Barryville, NY. Since this shot was taken in early December, there have been more cold days, and large portions of the river, including the Lackawaxen confluence, are ice-covered. Some eagles have been spotted along the river; at the moment, they appear to be year-round residents.

Posted Tuesday, December 23, 2025 12:38 pm

By SCOTT RANDO

It’s the middle of December at the moment, and as I sit here writing this column, I peer out the window at the snow, including the fresh three or four inches that fell last night. Some areas south of here reportedly got up to eight inches. Unlike some recent winters, December seems to have gotten off an active start, with at least two plowable snowfalls and low temperatures in the sub-zero range in some areas.

The universal question that goes around this time of year is “Will it be a White Christmas?” The long-range forecasts on most commercial weather services show mild weather from 17 December to 19 December, with some rain and possible snow on the 19th. This is followed by close-to-average temperatures and very little precipitation until after Christmas.

As the forecast extends further into the future, there is a certain amount of uncertainty in what will happen. The science of meteorology has improved a lot, but there is still some “guess” factor.

Having said all that, press deadline is fast approaching, and by the time you read this, you will have a pretty good idea of whether there will be a white Christmas, because this issue of the River Reporter will be printed and available just before the day.

If you want to see a fun page from the National Weather Service, follow this link: www.weather.gov/dvn/ChristmasSnow.

Here are some images of the region taken this month. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays to all.