A new record snowfall at Grand Rapids was set yesterday with 9.2” officially reported at GRR. Here in MBY I recorded a total of 6” and now have 5” on the ground. The official H/L yesterday at GR was 28/24 there was that record 9.2” of snowfall. The highest wind gust was 30 MPH out of the W there was a reported 3% of possible sunshine. For today the average H/L is 41/29 the record high of 64 was set in 1998 the coldest high of 17 was set in 1896 the record low of 6 was set in 1958 the warmest low of 53 was in 1913. The wettest and the most snowfall was in 1940 with 0.64” that fell as 6.8” of snowfall. The most snow on the ground was 14” in 1940. It looks like the new record snowfall were set at Grand Rapids with 9.2” and Sault Ste Marie with 17.7” The most snow at a major weather station is 15” at the Sault. If you keep track of the snowfall feel free to put your total in the comments section.
December and Meteorological Winter
You may hate it or love it but either way we are about to enter meteorological winter. Of course, the months of December, January and February on average are the coldest months of the year here in west Michigan. In most winters they are the months with the most snow fall. Records have been kept here at Grand Rapids since 1892 in the years 1892 to 1895 there is some missing data. The location from where records are taken from appears to have moved 3 times. For a location somewhere downtown to the old airport between 36th and 44th streets near Kalamazoo ave. That airport opened in 1927 but not sure when the weather station moved there. And since November 23rd, 1963 the official NWS office moved to its current location. At Lansing the records there go all the way back to April 1863. The Lansing airport has been at its current location since 1928 I am not sure where the weather station was located before being at the airport.
Meteorological Winter
The current 30 average temperature at Grand Rapids for the months of December, January and February is 27.3. That is up from the old 30 year average of 26.8 (The new 15 year average is 27.4) The warmest meteorological winter at Grand Rapids is 33.9 set in 1931/32 The coldest is 18.2 set in 1903/04 The average snow fall at Grand Rapids for December to February is 60.6” The snowiest meteorological winter was the 105.6” that fell in the 3 months in 2013/14 the total that season was 116.0. The least snow fall for any meteorological winter came in 1982/83 when just 11.8” fell. the total for that season was just 35.9” For the winter season 77.6’ is the average at Grand Rapids. At Lansing the 30 year average mean temperature for meteorological winter is 26.4. The meteorological winter snow fall there is 35.5” and for the winter season the average snow fall is 50.2” Last year the meteorological winter mean temperature at Grand Rapids was a very mild 33.6° that is the 2nd warmest winter of record at Grand Rapids and a departure of +6.3. At Lansing the meteorological winter mean last year was 33.3. As for snowfall, the total for the season last winter was just 47.5” at Grand Rapids a departure of -30.3” during the meteorological winter last winter was 38.4” with most of that falling in a two-week period. At Lansing the seasonal snowfall is not complete as January total is not available. For the winter season the snowfall records at Grand Rapids are 132.0 in 1951/52 for the most and 20.0” in 1905/06 for the least. At Lansing it is 97.2 in 1880/81 for the most and 16.0” in 1863/64 for the least.
December
The current 30 year mean temperature at Grand Rapids for December is 30.4. The warmest day in December is 69 and that was on December 5, 2001 The coldest low in December is -18 and that was on December 5, 1983. The warmest mean temperature for any December is 39.1° in 2015 the coldest mean for any December is 17.1 in 1989. The average December snow fall at Grand Rapids is 20.8” the most snow to fall in any December is 59.2” in 2000 the least snow fall is 1” that fell in 2014 Last year just 1.3” of snow fell in December that is the 2nd least amount for any December. At Lansing the 30 year average temperature is 29.5 and the average snowfall amount is 11.3. The warmest mean was 39.0 in 2015 and the coldest was 13.9 in 1876. The most snow fall was in 2000 with 33.5” and the least snowfall was in 1889 when no snow fall was reported. The record high of 70 was set on December 31, 1875, that was in the middle of a 4 day “heat wave” that saw highs of 60,70,65 and 62. The record low for December at Lansing is -25 on December 18, 1884. Note records go back to 1863 at Lansing.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
337 AM EST SAT NOV 30 2024
KEY MESSAGES
- LIGHT LINGERING LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TODAY
- RISK FOR SNOW CONTINUES THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 337 AM EST SAT NOV 30 2024
- LIGHT LINGERING LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS TODAY
KGRR RADAR TRENDS AND SFC OBS INDICATE LIGHTER WEST TO WNW FLOW
LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE IN PROGRESS EARLY THIS MORNING
MOSTLY ACROSS OUR WESTERN TWO TIERS OF COUNTIES. WITH H8 TEMPS
DOWN TO -13 TO -14 C YIELDING DELTA T/S WELL INTO THE 20S AND
AMPLE LINGERING MOISTURE THROUGH THE DGZ WE EXPECT THAT THESE LAKE
EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO LINGER TODAY.
ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MOSTLY AROUND AN INCH OR LESS ARE
EXPECTED BUT SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS TO NEAR TWO INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE WHERE BANDS ARE MOST PERSISTENT. SINCE LAKE EFFECT SNOW
SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS OUR WESTERN TWO TIERS OF COUNTIES
WITH ANTECEDENT SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS AND SFC TEMPS MAINLY IN THE
LOW TO MID 20S WE EXTENDED THE WINTER WX ADVISORY THROUGH MIDDAY
AS TRAVEL IMPACTS ARE STILL OCCURRING.
SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES WILL LINGER THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. A CONSENSUS BLEND OF LATEST
SHORT RANGE HIGH RES GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT ANY ADDITONAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS IN THAT TIME FRAME WOULD BE MOSTLY UNDER AN INCH.
- RISK FOR SNOW CONTINUES THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK
FOR SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY NIGHT, A 700 MB WAVE DROPS IN FROM THE
NORTHWEST. LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE INCREASES AND THE MOISTURE DEPTH
LIFTS INTO THE 700 MB LEVEL WHERE TEMPS WILL BE AROUND -20 DEG C.
THUS WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THE SNOW SHOWERS THEN,
ESPECIALLY NEAR AND WEST OF US-131. IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE WILL NEED
WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES FOR THE PASSAGE OF THIS SYSTEM. THE LATEST
HIGH RES EURO SHIFTS THE MAIN SNOW BANDS OFFSHORE MONDAY NIGHT WHICH
DOES TEND TO HAPPEN WHEN THE WINDS SWING AROUND TO THE NORTH. NOT
ALL MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE WINDS WILL SWING COMPLETELY
AROUND TO THE NORTH THEN.
THEN FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY, A LONGER FETCH SETS UP AS A
SOUTHWEST FLOW DEVELOPS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING POTENT MID LEVEL
WAVE. MOISTURE FROM LAKE MI WILL FEED INTO THIS SYSTEM AS IT TRACKS
THROUGH. THE STRONGEST LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL BE OVER NORTHWEST
PARTS OF THE CWA. THAT'S ALSO THE REGION CLOSEST TO THE PASSING MID
LEVEL SUPPORT. FAIRLY HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR A WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATING
SNOW EVENT EXISTS WITH ALL MODELS SUPPORTING THIS SETUP. ENSEMBLE
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN TRENDING UP WITH THIS SYSTEM AS WELL.
BEYOND WEDNESDAY, ANOTHER SURGE OF ARCTIC AIR SETTLES IN BEHIND THE
DEPARTING WAVE. TEMPS AT 850 MB ARE SHOWN TO FALL DOWN INTO THE -15
TO -20 DEG C RANGE. THIS WILL GENERATE PLENTY OF INSTABILITY TO
KEEP THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS GOING AND ACCUMULATING. THE
NORTHWEST FLOW FAVORS WESTERN PARTS OF LOWER MI FOR THE MOST
ACCUMULATIONS.
Cold and Snow rules! Keep it rocking!
INDY!!!!! LETS GO BLUE!!!
Great day to be a Michigan Wolverine wooooo! INDY
GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
quite the brawl at the end of the game
Great defense!
Heck yeah Kyle!! LETS GO BLUE!!!
Pretty intense band here right now… it’s been snowing all day
6.7 inches two day total, 9.6 inches for the month – yesterdays high low was temperature 29/24.
I was in Grandville last night and it was snowing hard!! I measured close to 8” at my family members house in Grandville! So much for building a big snow deficit!
The snow just keeps coming!
We’ve had more snow in the past two hours than the past two days. The grass is nearly covered. Be safe out there.
Is it even Winter yet?? Crazy time get the sled out ….INDY
Winter rocks and it is going to be wild!!
Who wouldn’t want snow in November!
Wow, wow, wow – incredible snowfall totals in West MI!