April 21
1923: A tornado struck three miles west of Scottville in Mason County. It destroyed an unoccupied home and carried pieces of it over a mile.
1967: A tornado outbreak hits from Missouri to Michigan, killing 58 people. The worst of the damage was in northern Illinois, where dozens of people were killed in Belvidere and Oak Lawn. At least seven tornadoes hit Michigan, injuring more than 50 people and destroying dozens of homes. A tornado moved across the southern outskirts of Grand Rapids, doing heavy damage. Thirty-two people were injured and a total of 65 buildings were destroyed and another 60 heavily damaged. Another tornado injured eight people and killed 34 sheep as it moved from Westphalia to the south edge of Fowler in Clinton County.
2013: Heavy spring rains caused severe flooding. The Grand River crested at 21.85 feet in downtown Grand Rapids on the 22nd, with fish being photographed from the submerged windows of buildings along the river.
April 22
1976: A tornado damaged several homes northeast of Burlington in Calhoun County.
April 23
1968: A tornado struck Big Rapids in Mecosta County, injuring 11 people and doing half a million dollars in damage as it covered a path 10 miles long.
1986: Freezing weather prevails across Lower Michigan. Record cold temperatures for the date include the 19 degrees at Muskegon and 20 degrees at Grand Rapids which is also a record for coldest so late in the season.
April 24
1980: Only two days after setting record highs in the 80s, a record snowfall blankets Lower Michigan. Grand Rapids sets a record for the date with 2.4 inches of snow, after hitting 86 degrees on the 22nd.
April 25
1976: Winter returns after summer-like weather the week before. After four days in the 80s from the 15th to the 18th, temperatures are held in the 30s today and heavy wet snow falls. Lansing sets a record for the date with 4 inches of snow, as does Grand Rapids with 3 inches.
April 26
1915: A record three-day spell of warm weather in the 80s peaks with a high of 88 degrees at Grand Rapids and Lansing
April 27
1966: A cold rain falls across Lower Michigan, holding temperatures in the 30s. The high of 37 at Grand Rapids and 38 at Lansing are both record cold high temperatures for the date.
Seven Day Forecast
Pollen
May expected colder than April…well, I guess we shouldn’t be startled. Cold begets cold.
I was planning to golf this Sunday, however I may end up snowshoeing instead! Rock n roll will never die and this is the winter that never ends with above normal snowfall and below normal temps! What a winter! Incredible!
It is a very nice spring day today with temps now in the 60’s the last reading at GRR was 61 and here at my house it is now 66°.
Slim
Now for Saturday night this is from the NWS office in Grand Rapids, Do not want Mookie saying this is made up or anything “PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO START GETTING MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE RISK OF ACCUMULATING WET SNOW ON SATURDAY NIGHT. AFTER A NUDGE/TREND NORTHWARD WITH THE SFC LOW IN THE 00Z GUIDANCE, 12Z GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED BACK SOUTH AGAIN AND NOW SUGGEST A DECENT RISK FOR A SWATH OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ALONG THE I-96 CORRIDOR. THE AIR CERTAINLY LOOKS COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT IT, AS DEW POINTS IN THE 20S TO LOW 30S WILL AID IN EVAPORATIVE… Read more »
How is this possible? Will the snow and the great winter ever end?
Incredibly cold night last night and more of the same this weekend! Get ready!
Don’t think it will happen but there could be snow on Saturday night! We shall see.
Slim
Cold, with cold on the way. Oh well…at least we have the stories from a generation past, when “stormy weather” was a bit more familiar. 80 degrees makes a good target for the rest of us. If not, there’s always next year.
60-80 degrees is the best weather, in my opinion, and we get a solid 6-7 months of that. If you’re looking for hot year round with huge bugs and lots of poisonous creatures, you live in the wrong state, my friend.
No doubt about it from May to October Michigan’s weather is nice. From November to March not so much. That is unless you like clouds, rain, cold temperatures and of course snow.
Slim
I always wonder why people live in places where they do not like the climate.
The official low at the airport looks to have been 35. Here at my house it was a colder 31 and there was some frost. Yesterday was a backwards day with the high being reached during the night and during the day the temperature fell before recovering some with late day sunshine. The average H/L is now 62/41. As Indy stated the average first 80° in Grand Rapids is April 30th at Kalamazoo it is April 29th and at Lansing it is May 2nd at these locations the first 80 days will be later then average Note that Muskegon did… Read more »
Oh great. Now we have to hear about crossing 80 everyday haha Three days in the 70’s so far in April, including 77 degrees. I’m happy with that! Right now, we are 8 or 9 degrees warmer than April 2018.
Great stats slim as always …INDY!!
I call them as I see them. And of course you know where I got the stats for today!
Slim
Yes! INDY!
Here are the recorded lows for this morning:
7 out of the last 8 days have been above average and April is still above average for the month. I love it!
We got down to 31* this morning –
I went out to uncover our strawberries we moved recently. Sleds not just for sitting in…. Lol. We had some frost here too.
Good morning off to a cool start 37* out at thee YARDofBRICKS NE GR looking ahead we stay cool going into the weekend with a pretty good system rain coming Saturday night into Sunday with over a inch of rain maybe some mixed snow north of I 96 ..The rest of April looks cool the mean date of GR seeing there first 80* degree day is April 30’th looks like it’s going to be later then that this year ..We are in a cooler pattern …Have a good Wednesday…INDY!