I was in Kalamazoo early yesterday morning, the drive was slow with one lane plowed on 131. I forgot how much fun it can be to drive in the dark with slippery roads and snow falling. My wife is fine after her shoulder surgery, she will be on the mend for the next several weeks.
My snow measurement for Otsego was in the late afternoon so I assume there was some settling – we came in at around 5 inches – Plainwell had 6 so I figure we had close to the same. Our total so far for the season is 15 inches (including November). Below are the totals from the NWS:
Our next storm system will move in late tomorrow night bringing with it rain rather than snow as temps rise into the 40s once again.
Weather History
December 29
1880: Arctic air puts Lower Michigan in the deep freeze. Lansing falls to 15 below zero after a low of 17 below zero the day before. The high temperature of 1 above zero on this day is the coldest maximum temperature on record for the month of December at Lansing.
1984: Temperatures reach record highs for the second day in a row at Grand Rapids and Lansing. Amazingly, the record high of 65 degrees at Grand Rapids is set just after midnight. A cold front moves through in the morning and temperatures fall into the 30s during the afternoon.
December 30
1976: Temperatures fall to record lows across Lower Michigan. At Lansing, the thermometer plunges to 17 below zero. It hits 11 below at Grand Rapids and Muskegon. The low at Muskegon sets the record for the month of December, which will be broken the very next day with a low of 15 below.
2000: Lansing picked up another 2.4 inches of snow, bringing the monthly total to over 33 inches and making December 2000 the snowiest December on record.
December 31
1875: The year ends on a remarkably balmy note. At Lansing, the high temperature of 70 degrees is the highest ever recorded in the month of December.
1976: One of the coldest Decembers on record ends with a second consecutive day of record lows across Lower Michigan. The temperature falls to 15 below zero at Muskegon, a record low for the date and for the entire month of December.
January 1
1876: The year begins during a three day spell of record warmth. Lansing hits 65 degrees, after setting a record of 70 degrees the day before.
1964: Arctic air sets record lows across Lower Michigan on this New Years Day. The temperature falls to 15 below zero at Grand Rapids and Muskegon hits 9 below.
1985: A severe ice storm struck southern Lower Michigan as a layer of ice up to one inch thick downed tree limbs and power lines. There were three deaths and eight injuries directly related to the ice storm. Over 430,000 electrical customers were without power, some for as long as 10 days. Total damage was estimated at nearly $50 million.
January 2
1876: Record highs are set for the third day in a row at Lansing and Detroit as the temperature reaches 62 degrees at both locations.
1999: A powerful winter storm gets underway with heavy snow and high winds shutting down travel for the next several days.
January 3
1897: Warm and wet weather prevails as a cold front approaches. High temperatures in the 50s are followed by heavy rain. This is the wettest January day on record at Muskegon, with nearly 5 inches of rain.
1918: The temperature falls to a record low of 16 below zero at Muskegon during one of the coldest months on record in Lower Michigan.
January 4
1981: Arctic air is firmly entrenched across Lower Michigan with extremely cold temperatures prevailing for the first half of the month. Eight of the first twelve days of the month fall below zero at Lansing. This is the coldest morning with a low of 29 below zero. This is the all-time low for the month of January at Lansing and the coldest temperature of the 20th century there. The temperature falls to 20 below zero at Grand Rapids and 15 below at Mount Pleasant.
1999: West Michigan is digging out from 1 to 2 feet of snow, with drifts of several feet as the Blizzard of 1999 slowly winds down. Lake effect snow will continue the next several days, however.
Michigan just got their butts kicked, especially in the second half. Horrible! Go Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl!
HAPPY 2020 TO EVERYONE!!
December was just another WAY ABOVE average temp month, with WAY BELOW average snowfall!!! Even with Rocky’s Hail Mary snow on December 31 we still came in WAY BELOW average for snow! The clock is ticking now for January and the temps are rising and the snow is melt, melt, MELTING!! Love these short winters!! Get out and Enjoy the sun and the melting snow!! Who knew?!?!!
The RBD model was spot on again!
It was nice to wake up to sunshine and fresh snow on the ground for 2020! Hoping to get into more of a winter-like pattern this month? I understand that the coldest air lags behind the shortest day of the year by about a month, but probably will still have to flip a coin…
That is the spirit and we will be getting hammered for the next 3 months! The Rock n Roll party is just getting started!
Winter weather advisory’s coming Saturday I’m thinking a good 3-5 inches of new snow is possible the GFS and Euro both agreeing with in about 50 miles apart that’s a good sign I’m thinking!! Happy New Year MV’s Best …. Michigan 27 Alabama 17 a citurs bowl win to start out the new year right with some Sprites ..Have a super day ….INDY
I am working on a more complete summery for Saturdays post but for the year Grand Rapids new record wettest year record is now 51.37. The new record at Muskegon is 47.97 at Lansing 2019 was the 4th wettest on record at 40.68″ December 2019 at Grand Rapids was well above average at 33.2° (+4.0) Muskegon was +3.2° with a mean of 33.4° and over at Lansing they had a mean of 33.0 and that was a departure of +4.7. All 3 locations were well below average in December snow fall with 14.3″ at Grand Rapids 14.2 at Muskegon and… Read more »
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
With several inches of snow on the ground and clear skies the temperature fell to 16 here at my house at the the low was a warmer 21.
Slim
It looks like the last storm was another spot on bingo for the NWS and the trusted and extremely accurate RBD model! Incredible!
Agreed that NWS was nearly perfect in their forecast. On the other hand, the amount of actual accumulation was far less than the snowfall forecast maps you posted.
Yeah, Rocky’s instantweather maps failed miserably as always!! Way less than the 16 inches they were showing!
You guys just don’t get it! That is ok, keep posting your nonsense and I will keep the cold and snow winter facts rocking! Get ready for a snowy 3 months coming up!