January 21
1984: The temperature hits a record low of 15 below zero at Grand Rapids for the second consecutive day. The temperature at Lansing only manages to reach zero degrees during the day.
January 22
1883: Bitter cold arctic air sends the temperature down to 14 below zero at Lansing and 8 below at Detroit. The high for the day at Lansing is 4 below zero, the coldest high temperature ever in the month of January there.
2005: A blizzard drops a foot of snow across southern Lower Michigan with strong winds creating drifts up to 4 feet deep.
January 23
1909: Lower Michigan is in the midst of a three day stretch of warm weather. Lansing hits a record high of 60 degrees. Grand Rapids reaches 56 degrees, also a record.
1948: Record lows on this date include 19 below zero at Grand Rapids and 13 below at Muskegon as arctic high pressure and deep snow cover have Lower Michigan in the deep freeze.
January 24
1967: A huge storm is gathering over the Plains States. Out ahead of it, strong southerly breezes bring record warmth to Lower Michigan. Lansing soars to 66 degrees, the warmest on record for the month of January.
January 25
1950: Muskegon sets the record high for the month of January at 63 degrees. Grand Rapids also ties their monthly record high of 66 degrees.
1967: Temperatures reach the 60s for the second day in a row across Lower Michigan. However, the spring-like weather is about to give way to one of the greatest snowstorms on record.
January 26
1967: Temperatures in the 20s are some 40 degrees colder than the day before, and heavy snow begins falling, piling up a foot or more along with increasing winds.
1978: A storm known as the Cleveland Superbomb moves north from the Gulf of Mexico and deepens explosively, becoming one of the worst blizzards in Midwest history. From one to two feet of snow falls across southern Lower Michigan, whipped into huge drifts by strong gusty winds.
Several new records were set including a new record low sea level barometric pressure of 28.68 , observed at 6:00 AM. At least 9 deaths were attributed to the blizzard, most roads were impassable, roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow and the airport in Grand Rapids was closed from late on the 25th until the 27th. Governor Milliken declared a state of emergency and requested additional federal aid for snow removal.
I remember having to crawl over snow dunes twice a day for a week to go take care of the horses we had at the time, the barn was a quarter mile away. The only thing moving out in the country were snow mobiles. My car stayed in a four foot drift until a roadgrader with a v-plow came to open up the roads. The photo to the left is consistent with how the rural roads were after the storm.
January 27
1967: Chicago’s greatest snowstorm on record also extends into Lower Michigan, where Battle Creek records 28.6 inches of snow. The storm total at Lansing is 23 inches and 18 inches at Grand Rapids.
1994: A snow and ice storm brings travel to a halt across Lower Michigan. Freezing rain causes widespread power outages and results in 5 million dollars damage.
An area of high pressure over the Mississippi Valley will build east today and through the Great Lakes Region on Thursday. This fair weather system will limit the potential for any precipitation during this period. Clouds will be fairly abundant though. The high pressure system strengthens over the Appalachians on Friday. A stronger southwesterly flow of milder air develops here in Michigan and persists into Saturday.
Today: A 20 percent chance of snow showers after 7am. Cloudy, with a high near 31. West northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. South wind 5 to 8 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. South southeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 48. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 46.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.
Sunday: A slight chance of snow showers before noon, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36.
Sunday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Monday: A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 31.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 18.
Tuesday: A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 36.
Well good bring on snow and cold rocky I think some think is spring on this blog and it’s only January lol!! INDYDOG14!!
A MONSTER is brewing! Bring it on and hammer us with SNOW!!!!!!!
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/threats/hazards_d8_14_contours.png
Interesting how much of the country is marked as being in a severe drought. I would not have guessed that for this time of the year.
Good point and at least CA is not in a drought this year!
Ready for Blizzards of fun also Uncle Jack. INDYDOG14!!
Blizzard of 78 was GREAT.
https://www.facebook.com/irene.bullerman/posts/1815493501859469
Had Some SUN HEAR @ Thee YARDofCUES TODAY!
All signs point towards WINTER returning in a week or so! Bring on the COLD and SNOW! This is going to be a lot of fun!
http://www.instantweathermaps.com/GFS-php/conussfc.php?run=2018012412&time=PER&var=ASNOWI&hour=384
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/814temp.new.gif
LOL!! Heard this one before, as I look out at my green grass in my lawn!!
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxvEZGQQADD9TVUolDVlUbey4rBgaVxpd_FHFrG9giYpob4QYP2Q
I remember 1978 as well. We had a Chevy Blazer in the driveway, and it was totally buried under the snow, couldn’t see a bit of it. We had snowmobiles, so that’s how we got to town for 3 or 4 Days. We just don’t get storms anything like that anymore. Nowadays if we get 4 inches of snow everyone goes ape and thinks it is a mega Storm!
Just like your inch of rain in Zland you get is always a major flood lol! I hope it snows to April yeaaaa!! INDYDOG14!!
Ok, I read your statement 5 times and I have no idea what you are trying to say. Can anyone interpret that??
Ok when it rains only in Zland it floods .. try 6 times now berry lol!! INDYDOG14!!
Why would you say that? The flooding was on the Grand River as well as other rivers when all the snow melted and then compounded by all the rain. That’s why there were flood warnings and advisories out all over. You get that much water pouring into the rivers at once, you end up getting ice jams which in turn backs up the water and creates flooding. And then as Bill had mentioned on his blog, a lot of roadways became flooded because all that water had no where to go. Many of the drains were clogged with snow and… Read more »
In climate news, NASA said 2017 was the 2nd hottest year ever recorded (right behind 2016) and the hottest non El Nino year ever recorded. Meanwhile, current arctic sea ice has been oscillating between the lowest and second lowest on record.
My folks still talk about 1967. My mom was very pregnant with my sister. I remember 1978. My brother and his friend dropped me into a snow drift and left me there. Aren’t big brothers great? I became ill, but we couldn’t get out. We lived on the west side of Lansing. My doc rode his snowmobile from East Lansing. How about that for a house call?