October Summary – Weather History

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Yesterday we reached a pleasant 65° after a morning low of 40.5° in Otsego.  High pressure will bring fair and unseasonably warm weather through Thursday. A cold front brings some rain for late Friday and the weekend.

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Weather History for SW Michigan

October 30

1988: Record cold temperatures in the teens and lower 20s close out the month. The low of 18 degrees at Grand Rapids on this day ties the record for the coldest ever recorded in October.

October 31

1917: One of the coldest Octobers on record ends on a wintry note with about an inch of snow and high temperatures only in the lower 30s.

1950: Halloween treats Lower Michigan to balmy temperatures. Grand Rapids hits 79 degrees and Lansing 77, both record highs for the date.

November 1

1950: Warm weather starts the month with temperatures around 80 degrees across Lower Michigan. Lansing sets their record high for the month of November at 81 degrees.

1976: Cold weather will rule this month across Lower Michigan. Grand Rapids sets a record low of 21 degrees to start the coldest November on record there.

November 2

1938: A record high of 77 degrees is set at Grand Rapids as a three-day spell of very warm weather begins the month.

November 3

1966: A record early-season snowstorm drops 6 to 12 inches of snow across southwest Lower Michigan.

1990: Heavy fog resulted in a fatal aircraft accident near Shelby, Michigan. A private plane trying to land at the local airport in the fog stalled and crashed, killing the pilot.

November 4

2003: Heavy rains of an inch or more across southwest Lower Michigan on this day set the tone for November 2003. This turns out to be the wettest November on record at both Grand Rapids and Lansing.

November 5

1951: The temperature plunges to six degrees at Grand Rapids, a record for early-season cold.

1990: Heavy rains inundate southern Lower Michigan. The 2.12 inches of rain at Muskegon makes this the wettest November day on record.

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Weather History for SE Michigan

October 30

On October 30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy merged with a system over the eastern United States to produce a large extratropical system capable of producing widespread strong winds across much of the northeast U.S., including Southeast Michigan. Strong northerly winds gusted to 75 mph, hurricane force, at Port Huron and to 65 mph at Port Sanilac. Elsewhere, widespread wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph led to downed power lines and minor property damage.

Also on October 30, 2004, a strong low-pressure system tracked through Lake Superior led to high winds during the afternoon hours. Wind gusts of 60 mph lead to widespread power outages, downed trees, and wires, along with some minor property damage throughout all of southeast Michigan. Utility companies reported power outages to 283,000 customers across lower Michigan, with at least half that total coming from southeast Michigan, where damage was estimated to be 3.5 million dollars

Also on October 30, 1966, the overnight temperature dropped to a freezing 19 degrees in Flint. This ties with October 21, 1974, for the record minimum temperature for the month of October in Flint.

October 31

On October 31, 2013, Detroit, Flint, and Saginaw all had their wettest Halloween on record. They recorded 1.59″, 1.19″, and 1.14″ of rain respectively.

Also on October 31, 1993, was a very cold Halloween with high temperatures only reaching 43 in Detroit, 37 in Flint, and 39 in Saginaw. The 37 in Flint is the record-low maximum temperature for the date. During the early morning hours, snow fell and accumulated across portions of Southeast Michigan. Detroit had 0.4 inches of snow, while Flint had 0.8 inches.

Also on October 31, 1950, children experienced a warm Halloween with a record high of 79 degrees in Detroit.

November 1

On November 1, 1950, the temperature rose to 81 degrees in Detroit, 79 in Flint, and 80 in Saginaw. All three cities recorded their maximum temperatures for the month of November. The Flint record would later be broken in 2015.

November 2

On November 2, 1966, the earliest snowfall of 4 inches or more occurred in Detroit with a measure of 7.8 inches of snow occurring over 3 days from the 2nd to the 5th. During this early-season snowstorm Flint received 8.6 inches and Saginaw had 11.3 inches of snow. This turned out to be the snowiest November in Detroit with 11.8 inches and 2nd snowiest in Flint and Saginaw with 13.5 inches and 20.3 inches respectively.

November 3

On November 3, 1951, an early cold snap on the 2nd through the 6th brought several record lows to southeast Michigan. Detroit had 22 degrees on the 2nd and 16 degrees on the 3rd. Flint had 20 degrees on the 2nd, 12 degrees on the 3rd, 14 degrees on the 5th, 13 degrees on the 6th, and Saginaw had 18 degrees on the 2nd, 12 degrees on the 3rd, 16 degrees on the 4th, 12 degrees on the 5th and 14 degrees on the 6th.

November 4

On November 4, 2015, Flint set a new record for the highest November temperature on record when it reached 80 degrees. Detroit reached 77 degrees, its second-highest November temperature while Saginaw reached 75 degrees, its 3rd warmest.

November 5

On November 5, 2005, thunderstorms developed out ahead of a rapidly deepening surface low. A small bow echo took down trees and power lines across Saginaw County. This storm was responsible for cutting power to 6700 homes and one injury as a tree fell onto a man, trapping him under the branches. Pea-sized hail also accompanied this storm, blanketing the ground so thick in Merrill that it looked like snow.

Also on November 5, 1990, 2.07 inches of precipitation was recorded in the city of Saginaw. This is the highest amount of precipitation recorded in the month of November in Saginaw.

Also, on November 4, 1978, all three climate sites established new daily record highs with 76 at Detroit and Flint and 75 in Saginaw.

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Forecast Discussion

- Fog Dissipating This Morning -

The main weather concern through this morning will be areas of fog
that my impact the morning commute. Moisture from recent rains is
still being retained in the soil, and combined with efficient
radiational cooling with clear skies and light winds, shallow fog
will develop. Recent hi-res models highlight the I-94 corridor with
the worst of the fog, with visibilities down to 1/2 mile or less
possible. Fog will dissipate shortly after sunrise.

- Quiet with Warmer Than Normal Through This Weekend -

Ridging will dominate much of the region the rest of this week
resulting in persistent southerly flow and efficient warm air
advection. Mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid to
upper 60s can be expected for today and Thursday. 850mb temperatures
will top out in the 10-14C range Friday and Saturday, resulting
in the warmest days of the week. High temperates will make a push
for the low 70s for both days, and there may be a chance we could
see a record warm low temperature (mid to upper 50s) Saturday
morning.

- Active Weather Returning This Weekend -

A moisture axis associated with a cold front will approach lower MI
late Friday and into Saturday. While most of the area will likely
stay dry, areas further north may see a better chance at showers.
This cold front will then get pushed north as a stronger
shortwave originating from the Plains digs along the base of a
broad trough and becomes negatively tilted as it moves into MI on
Saturday. As the surface pressure gradient builds as this low
approaches and a strong 50+ knot Low Level Jet narrows in on lower
MI, winds will increase across the areas Saturday. Ensemble
guidance suggests wind gusts on the order of 40+ mph will be
possible Saturday afternoon and evening.