Yesterday, we reached a high temperature of 34° and a low of 22°. We had a trace of snowfall.
The winter storm warning for Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties is set to expire at 10 am.
The lake effect snow showers along the lakeshore will diminish as they move inland today. High temperatures will be in the low to mid-30s. Additional accumulations of up to 2 inches are predicted, mainly near the lakeshore.
Fall Summary
It was a very warm fall across the region and generally very dry as well. A notable exception was Muskegon’s second wettest day on record on September 24. Above-normal snowfall was recorded at Grand Rapids thanks to lake-effect snow showers from November 28-30. Here is a summary of the key stats from September through November.
Weather History
1998: An extended spell of warm weather occurs in early December with highs in the 50s and 60s the first six days of the month. Record highs are set on this date with 64 degrees at Grand Rapids and 66 degrees at Lansing.
2002: Arctic air and fresh snow cover combined to drop the temperature to 18 below zero at Lansing, setting a record for early-season cold.
On December 3, 2002, Flint had a record low of -8 degrees. The next day, Flint had another record low of -4 degrees.
Also on December 3, 1982, Detroit reached 68 degrees, Flint was 67 degrees and Saginaw reached 63 degrees. All are records for the date. This was the second day in a row that all three sites had record highs. This was the start of a very warm December. December 1982 was the warmest on record for Flint, the second warmest for Saginaw, and the 6th warmest for Detroit.
Forecast Discussion
- Lake Effect Snow Diminishes Today Bottom line up front, have extended the current Winter Storm Warning until 10am. A meso-low has generated a band of moderate to heavy snowfall which is feeding into the southern lakeshore counties. Given the moderate to heavy snowfall will continue through the morning commute, will extend the warning to cover continued impacts to travel. Light snow showers north continue through daybreak so will let the winter weather advisory continue until expiration. Lake effect snow then diminishes briefly into the afternoon as mid-level height rises lead to subsidence. - Clipper Brings Precipitation Tonight into Wednesday The diminished snowfall will be short-lived as a clipper system tracks through the region tonight into Wednesday. Widespread accumulating snow is expected, heaviest near US10. Southwest flow will lead to lake enhancement, however warm air advection capping inversion heights around 5kft will limit the effects of this. Near and south of M20 signals persist for the DGZ to dry out in the late morning and early afternoon which would bring drizzle and freezing drizzle potential. With temps right around 32F, the extent to which freezing drizzle would occur may be limited (chances look to be in the 10-20 percent range). A solid 1-4 inch snowfall is expected and we will monitor freezing drizzle potential. - Arctic Air, Snow, and Wind Arrive Wednesday Night into Thursday Impactful winter weather continues to look likely Wednesday Night into Thursday as an arctic front pushes through the CWA and generates significant lake effect snow behind it. Given mixing to 40 knots very gusty winds are likely, with these winds also bringing the potential for very significant reductions in visibility with blowing snow. A favorable environment for snow squalls and lake effect snow to push well inland looks to be in place as theta-e lapse rates go negative and surface based instability develops. Lake effect snow, heavy at times, is likely to continue into the day on Thursday. Impacts to the thursday morning commute and scattered power outages are possible. Some guidance like the 06z HRRR trend the cold air in a bit faster which may lead to flash freeze issues Wednesday evening though uncertainty is high as to if this can occur. In coordination with neighboring offices, we will hold off on any winter storm watches at this time given impacts are still 2-2.5 days out and we have ongoing winter headlines through the morning. However, they may be needed for at least a few counties in future packages. We will continue to monitor. - Unsettled Conditions Into The Weekend Lake effect snow subsides into Friday as surface and upper-level ridging takes hold before a clipper system brings the potential for light snow accumulations towards Saturday. Given 850mb temps rise back above zero this looks to be mainly synoptic in nature with no lake enhancement. Unsettled conditons remain possible into the rest of the weekend.
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
LATE THURSDAY NIGHT…
* WHAT…Heavy snow and blowing snow possible. Total snow
accumulations between 3 and 8 inches. Winds could gust as high as
45 mph.
* WHERE…Portions of southwest and west central Michigan.
* WHEN…From Wednesday afternoon through late Thursday night.
BINGO let it snow…INDY
Possible blizzard conditions are coming! Incredible!
I am roaming around the Grand Rapids area this afternoon and got the alert for the Winter Storm Watch. Looks like it could be quite nasty with the snow and wind.
Winter storm watch for the 2 rows of counties along the lakeshore… generally 3-8 inches
Who would have thought? Snow, snow and more SNOW!
I hope you get a bunch. The sun has made appearance the past two days here. It is mostly green outside.
…WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS
AFTERNOON…
* WHAT…Heavy snow. Additional snow accumulations one to two inches.
* WHERE…Allegan, Ottawa, and Van Buren Counties.
* WHEN…Until 1 PM EST this afternoon.
* IMPACTS…Visibility and road conditions may change rapidly over
short distances in lake-effect snow. Plan on slippery road
conditions.
Well, that escalated quickly. I cannot recall the last time I saw a 3.5-hour WSW.
‘Twas a fantastic autumn. Warm, dry, and lots of sun.
It’ll be interesting how long this “warm up” lasts. If it’s just a few days or lasts through December. We will see!
Thankfully just a few days!
The official H/L yesterday at GR was 31/22 there was 0.1” of snowfall the sun was out 9% of the time. There was 1” of snow on the ground. For today the average H/L is 40/26 the record high of 62 was in 2012 the coldest high of 15 was in 1976 the record low of -6 was in 1976 the warmest low of 53 was in 1998. The wettest was 1.37” in 1982 the most snowfall of 4.0” was in 1996 the most on the ground was 11” in 1940. Last year the H/L was 38/33.
Slim