While we wait on word from MV I will toss up todays post.
Today I will touch on a subject that some may want to debate but the truth is here in Grand Rapids the annual mean temperature is 48.1°. Over the years there have been only 11(so far) years where the years mean temperature was 50° or better. Here is a list of the top 11 warmest year in Grand Rapids history.
1. 2012 52.8°
2. 2016 52.2°
3. 1931 52.2°
4. 1921 52.2°
5. 1998 51.5°
6. 1938 50.9°
7. 1894 50.9°
8. 1939 50.5°
9. 2007 50.2°
10. 2006 50.2°
11. 1922 50.0°
There have been no other year with an annual mean of 50° or better. Of special interest is that 4 of the warmest years have occurred since 2000. And while the long term mean in GR is 40.1° in the years since 2000 the annual mean here is 49.2° And every one of the 12 months is warmer since the year 2000 than the long term average so there is a case to be made that Grand Rapids appears to becoming warmer. If this trend continues we will have to see. On a side note the total seasonal snow fall has increased over the years while the 30-year average is around 73” and the average since 1903/04 (when the better records started being kept) is 66.7” but since 2000 the average is up to 81.4”°
Of course, while it has been warmer than average over the last 17 years will this continue? Well for that to change we will have to have a long-term pattern change. While I continue to think that will happen in the months ahead I have to point out that since September 2015 Grand Rapids (and much of the Great Lakes and mid-west area) have seen many months that have been above the long-term average. Here at Grand Rapids Going back to that September in 2015 there have only been 4 months of below average temperatures and of the above average months some have been well above average such as December 2015 (+9.9°) February 2017 (+7.9°) November 2015 (+5.4°) September 2015 (+44°)
On the flip side here are some years that have been much colder than average (48.1°)
1. 1917 44.6°
2. 1912 45.2°
3. 1978 45.6°
4. 1969 45.8°
5. 1989 45.9°
6. 1976 45.9°
7. 1907 46.0°
8. 1924 46.0°
9. 1950 46.1°
10. 1912 46.1°
Honorable mention 1926 46.4°, 1996 46.3°, 2014 46.5° over the years here in Grand Rapids the annual mean temperature has ranged from 44.6° up to 52.8° I will leave it up to you to decide if Grand Rapids is getting warmer or not but in the last 17 years that seems to have been the case if it continues that is to be seen and will play out in the years ahead.
Slim
It sure has been a beautiful sunny day!! Lots of birds are back. My flowers are popping up some too.
We are all alive, the well part not so much. My wife and I have Influenza A – yes we did get the vaccine last fall as we do every year. She is at Borgess in quarantine with breathing issues, though she is getting better. She should be out tomorrow – I have been traveling back and forth between home and the hospital to visit her being sick myself with the same.
Thanks Slim for keeping things going here – I appreciate it…..
I should be able to get something out for tomorrows post (maybe)
MV it is good to hear from you. Glad to hear your wife is doing better. Please don’t worry about a post here till you guys are much better. Keeping you both in our prayers. The flu shots are not a guarantee you won’t get it. I have been there myself. You would have a worse case of it they say.
Take care of yourselves first! Slim has done an excellent job here (thanks Slim). Prayers for you both to shake that crud.
Influenza A is hitting the schools around here hard and heavy. Rest and hydration, my friend.
We have it here too.
Glad to hear that you are OK. Take care of your wife and yourself. I will see if you have a post up tomorrow around 9 or 9:30 if not I will toss one up. Take care
Slim
What an awesome day out for my day off! Spent the whole day outside grooming the yard, trimming trees, and washing and waxing all the cars. My face and arms actually got sun burned, didn’t even think about putting sunscreen on. Wish we could have like a month straight of this weather!
Numbers, numbers, numbers. An interesting set of lists Slim. They will provide certainty and proof to some viewers, and not so much to others…I guess that’s life. For me, I have to lay the numbers over the vast “scale” of time. Without the temps (in this area) for the year 1101, or better yet, 101, I have no idea wether this area is warmer or colder.
For what it’s worth, my 91 year old Father, who passed two years ago, would comment now and then that ” he did’nt have the same confidence in building an ice skating rink for the grandkids, as he had when I was very young.” In other words, ice rinks seemed to be a sure bet to last in the past :/
Models showing some pretty good snow Saturday 4 to 5 inches I’m thinking that’s a little overdone but appears something is brewing I know on this blog you have to be precise on what you say because some incredibly call you out for made up things so again MODELS the GFS and the EURO are showing snow in central Michigan we will get a better look at it tomorrow how could that be? ..Its sunny outside but still cool is it MAY yet have a good hump day MV’S best …INDY!
You know it! Mookie is nortorius for lying and making stuff up about your comments and many other things! I say bring on the snow and add to our March and seasonal totals! The more the better!
Ah the usual Indy and Rocky “snowstorm.”
John Dee’s latest graphic has ZERO snow for GR south for the next 10 days.
I am loving the high pressure the past couple of days. It’s nice seeing the sunrise while I’m making breakfast for the kids. What can I say? I spoil them.
Yesterday ended up as another colder than normal day and this weekend look for temps in the 30’s with a rain snow mix! We are clearly still in a cool pattern and March will end the month well below normal! Incredible!
Yes this March will end up below average, just a matter of how much below average and for snow fall Grand Rapids will end up near average. We still have to see how the weekend system plays out.
Slim
Looking at the two coldest days in what is otherwise a pretty great looking forecast. Now that’s some extreme cold weather bias!
Rocky works for wood tv 8 …lol..They are cold bias to right? INDY!
Thanks for stepping up again Slim! Impressive stat compilation you’ve posted. Pretty much confirms what I’ve been thinking about the past 15 years or so, and actually the stats are even more one sided than I had thought. I would have no complaints if we just stayed right around the annual mean year around of close to 50 degrees. Wouldn’t have to worry about croaking in the heat and wouldn’t have to deal with the worthless cold. Great job!
I know you do not like the warmer weather but I could live without the extreme cold of winter. As for any “heat” in the summer we are have the great lakes around us and that keeps us cooler in the summer and of course we are quite a ways up north so that also helps in the summer time.
Slim
48 and sunny today, 54 and partly cloudy tomorrow. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Great stats. It’s clear GR is getting warmer and we remain in a long-term warm pattern since 2015.