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Farewell to Winter (?)

The birds are singing, the squirrels and chipmunks are frolicking vocalizing their belief that spring is near and the snow is to become a distant memory, or is it?  Models are crunching their binary numbers coming up with warmer than normal temps as well as they can ascertain being mere machines in a human world.

It is my belief the majority of the people in the snow belts are ready and willing to allow spring to come into place displacing the strange winter we have had this year.  At this point, I would rather cut the grass than have to bundle up to deal with snow and cold.  Enough already!  If we aren’t going to have a normal winter it may as well be spring.

This isn’t to say we can’t still have a surprise snowstorm in March, however, with the sun higher in the sky and the longer days it is becoming more unlikely as the days go by.

We have 21° this morning with a few snowflakes falling.  Any snow accumulations will be less than half an inch.  We will begin a warming trend tomorrow then temps will skyrocket into the upper 40s for Sunday.  Springtime is near!


 

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Wild Bill
Wild Bill

I’m gonna be the Debby downer, I want spring, but I don’t believe we have seen the last of winter.. I won’t be taking any plows off our trucks for a few weeks, somthing will happen..

Rocky (Rockford)
Rocky (Rockford)

You know it and this happens every Spring! The warm weather fanatics always go crazy if they see a map with above normal temps and then we have a cold windy spring and it does not really warm up till mid or late May! Incredible!

Andy W
Andy W

Or you say there’s going to be never ending snow storms from October to May with 140 inches of snow in GR. Then we get every winter month with above normal temps and below normal snow. Unreal!!

Sandy (Hudsonville)
Sandy (Hudsonville)

I’m with you on this. I really want a nice long Spring too but I find it hard to believe Winter is over. I don’t think it is. I have seen it when my kids were very young & on Spring break week and we had 2 snow storms in one week. We had so much snow and cold!! and it was the first week of April. I couldn’t believe it.

Andy W
Andy W

Check out the latest CPC outlooks!! Ummmm…BYE BYE WINTER!!!! Love these early springs! Get prepared now and clean up those golf clubs!!! Grillin, chillin and swinging them golf clubs!! Who knew!?!?

INDY
INDY

Don’t forget the Sprites Andy ….INDY

Andy W
Andy W

Got them chilling right now INDY!! GO BLUE!!

INDY
INDY

Always ….INDY

Barry in Zeeland
Barry in Zeeland

Slim, is there a place online I can look up PT airport numbers?

INDY
INDY

22* degrees outside and we are talking fair well to Winter ??? Mokiee must be in charge of the post today lol….ohhh 2 years ago today we had a high of 60* degrees definitely not feeling that today…Stay warm INDY ….

Mookie
Mookie

Yes. Likely won’t see another day like this in a long, long time!

INDY
INDY

Lol….ok…INDY

Slim

You know there has been a lot of talk about how little snow that has fallen this winter season. Well yes compared to the averages for our area it has been much less than average but for locations at our latitude this winter has been very much a average year for total snow fall. Grand Rapids officially at the airport is at latitude 42.8825 (I live at 43.0128) and officially recorded 48.5” of snow fall. Well to our west at Madison latitude 43.1406 their 30 year average snow fall is 50.9” at Milwaukee latitude 42.9550 their average snow fall is… Read more »

Mookie
Mookie

Latitude, however, is not the #1 determinant of snowfall. You don’t need to tell that to Buffalo, NY. Lakes and mountains are far more important.

Slim

If the Great Lakes were NOT there, latitude and elevation would be a important factor. And of course the more east one is the more moisture from the gulf and The Atlantic Ocean. But that said the mean average snow fall for locations at a similar latitude and elevation as Grand Rapids is between 40 and 50″ both to the west and east of here.
Slim

Mookie
Mookie

Jackson, Wyoming and Buffalo, NY are same latitude with very different snowfall to name a few.

Slim

Jackson is around 6000 feet. Buffalo is in a better location for lake effect then Grand Rapids. But that said most non mountain locations in the eastern half of the United States at the same latitude as Grand Rapids receive around 40 to 50″ a year. I already gave 3 locations above. For more La Crosse WI 48.0″. Albert Lea MN 41.4″. Sioux Fall SD 42.2″. Boston MA 44.5″. Hartford CT 47.2″. So most people who live at this latitude and elevation get on average less snow fall then Grand Rapids and most definitely less then western New York.
Slim

Mookie
Mookie

Yes, GR gets more clouds and snow than most similar locations. This is a fact.

Slim

It sure looks like the winter of 2019/20 will soon be over for the most part. It should be noted that it can still snow for another 6 weeks or so. That does not mean it will but in the past it has. The average last 1” snow fall date here in Grand Rapids is March 30th with a range of February 19, 1908 to the latest of May 10th, 1908. The last time it did not snow 1” or more on any day in March was in 2009 and that summer had a cold July.
Slim

Mookie
Mookie

Winter is basically over? I love it!

Slim

I would think it is mostly over. Like I said it still could snow but any snow now will not last too long.
Slim

Rocky (Rockford)
Rocky (Rockford)

It is an absolutely perfect day and weekend up in snow country! I can hardly wait! Snow, snow and more snow!

Mookie
Mookie

Hope you’re not skiing Sunday. 42 degrees at Boyne Mountain and all slush. Yuck!

Rocky (Rockford)
Rocky (Rockford)

Great winter for skiing! I been skiing for 15 straight weeks! Fantastic!

Mookie
Mookie

Several hundred miles north where you can do that every winter. That’s like saying it was warmer in Florida LOL

Rocky (Rockford)
Rocky (Rockford)

It has been a great week of winter, especially up in snow country! They have been getting pounded with snow. That have been in a WWA and WSW since yesterday! Boyne MT here I go! It looks like another great skiing and snowmobiling week and weekend! The snow just keeps coming! Incredible!

https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=MIZ027&warncounty=MIC079&firewxzone=MIZ027&local_place1=Kalkaska%20MI&product1=Winter+Storm+Warning&lat=44.7364&lon=-85.1745#.XlkUDyVOnYU

Mookie
Mookie

It has been great! Virtually no snow despite your constant snowstorm predictions. I love it!

Barry in Zeeland
Barry in Zeeland

Yes, very strange Winter. No major storms, well unless you count Winter Storm Not, hardly any snow, and crazy mild temps for the vast majority of the time. 60’s at Christmas time, 50’s in January and February, definitely one of the easiest Winters ever. Looks like the groundhog nailed it this year, early Spring starts Sunday!

Slim

Barry I have some historical records for Holland. I have monthly averages for the Tulip City AP lat 42.7451 long. 86.0967 elevation 689. and a location at lat 42.7869 long 86.1231 elevation 610. The airport dont have snow fall averages but the other location has them and wow the totals are much less then I thought they would be. The seasonal average at the location is just 69.9″
Slim

Barry in Zeeland
Barry in Zeeland

Interesting. Any idea where the other location could be? If it’s closer to the lake, like Park Township airport, snow totals would be less because much of the lake effect blows over them.

Slim

Putting in the coordinates it looks to be Park Township airport.
Slim

Barry in Zeeland
Barry in Zeeland

Makes sense. Most years when we actually get lake snow, at the beach there will be very little snow. It doesn’t really start piling up till you’re 5 to 10 miles inland.

Mookie
Mookie

If you like the cold, enjoy today. Could be the last one until next December! Hello spring!