Yesterday we had a high of 57° with partly cloudy skies after a morning low of 37°. Today won’t be quite as pleasant with rain in the forecast and high temperatures near 50°. Areas from I96 to the north will have a more widespread rain today.
Today I will start displaying Michigan’s historical weather information for each day only along with the U.S. and international events.
SW Michigan Weather Forecast
SW Michigan Weather History for Today
1921: A record early-season snowstorm buries Lower Michigan with over a foot of heavy, wet snow in some places. Lansing measures 18.9 inches for its greatest November snowfall on record.
1991: A vast flow of arctic air dominated the Midwest during early November 1991. Several inches of snow fall from the 2nd through the 6th followed by the passage of a cold dome of high pressure that sets record lows of 11 degrees at Lansing and 16 degrees at Grand Rapids on this date.
SE Michigan Weather History for Today
On November 8, 1931, the temperature rose to a record 72 degrees at Saginaw on the 8th, then on the 9th, the temperature rose to 74 which was the warmest so late in the year for Saginaw.
U.S.A and Global Events for November 8th:
1870: The U.S. Signal Corps Weather Service issued the first storm warning on this day. Professor Increase A. Lapham believed that warnings of deadly storms on the Great Lakes could be derived from telegraphed weather observations. As a result, a bill was introduced and signed into law to establish a national telegraphic weather service. The Signal Corps began taking observations of November 1st, 1870. On this date, Lapham would issue the first storm warning, a cautionary forecast for the Great Lakes.
1879: A tornado struck Crawford County, Arkansas, killing several people.
The image above is from a tweet by the NWS Office in Little Rock, Arkansas.
1913: The Great Lakes Storm of November 7-13, 1913, was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Region, sinking as many as 19 ships and stranding 19 others. This storm would be the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the Great Lakes. Additional information from the NWS can be found HERE. The website Tales of the Sea also has a great page about this storm.
The image below is from a tweet by the NWS Office in Gaylord, Michigan.
1994: The twelfth and final tropical cyclone of the Atlantic hurricane season formed in the southwestern Caribbean. While Hurricane Gordon was only a Category 1, it killed 1,149 individuals, including 1,122 in Haiti.
Forecast Discussion
-Rainy, Chilly, Breezy Today Band of elevated convection over WI associated with 850 mb theta-e advection and 35 kt low level jet will shift east- northeast early this morning, impacting our area between 12Z and 18Z. There should be a lull in the rain this afternoon, mainly south of I-96, as the 850 mb warm front lifts north. However an additional band of convection is shown to develop along the 850 mb cold front late in the day, which sweeps east across the area this evening. Fcst soundings show an impressive inversion today between the sfc and 850 mb as the sfc low and warm sector stays to our south. Sfc temps will be stuck in the 30s/40s for most of the day with a brisk easterly wind gusting up to 30 mph. Despite the chilly, unpleasant sfc conditions, parcels lifted from 850 mb will be unstable with subzero LIs shown-- supporting a thunder risk. Some small hail cannot be ruled out as a plume of steep mid level lapse rates pushes in from the southwest. PWATs rise over 1" by later today. The axis of heaviest QPF from this event has shifted slightly farther north from previous guidance and is now expected to be mainly north of I-96. 00Z HREF local probability-matched mean QPF suggests some amounts in excess of 1" are possible in a band from Oceana County toward Reed City/Evart. Even some support for amounts up to 2" in that area from a few ensemble members. -Sunshine but Windy on Thursday Rain ends abruptly from west to east overnight as deeper moisture bails out with system departing to the east. Clearing moves in for Thursday with cyclonic flow, highs near 50, and sunshine promoting relatively deep mixing for early November. West winds gusting up to 35 mph at times. -A Few Lake Effect Showers Possible Friday- Colder air aloft infiltrates the CWA late this week as upper-level troughing settles over the region. There are differences between various guidance suites in the timing of any shortwaves in this pattern, and the placement of deep layer moisture. Current thinking is that the best deep layer moisture remains confined to the northern half or so of the CWA Friday keeping the southern portion dry while north a few lake effect showers are possible. As 850 mb temps fall near -6C this generates ample over lake instability. In concert with this is decent low level omega values near the lakeshore (3-5 ubar/s) Friday afternoon which may be enough to generate a few lake effect showers. Will keep slight chance PoPs going as a result over the northern half to two-thirds of our lakeshore. The cold air advection also keeps temps cooler than today and Thursday with highs ranging from the low 40s in the northern CWA to the upper 40s near I94. -Mild Conditions Next Week- Surface ridging takes over for the weekend into the start of next week keeping conditions dry. There are some inconsistencies in timing between guidance suites in the long term, but the overall pattern shows zonal to northwest flow being replaced by upper-level ridging for the start of the work week next week. In addition to the dry conditions, this will cause warming temperatures for lower Michigan going into next week.
We’ve had lightning for two hours now and it’s still going. This has been really cool.
Incredibly vivid cloud to ground strikes! Looks like we’ll be mowing well into December again.
The lightning and thunder is almost non stop at my house. Incredible for November.
Same here. It may be the best lightning we have had all year.
It would rank near one of the best. Tons of rain it’s just keeps pouring here.
Getting more lightning here. Its November, right?
The CFv2 now has it much above average to above average all the was to December 5th so no real cold weather is on the way.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/people/mchen/CFSv2FCST/weekly/
Slim
Get ready, CPC blowtorch upcoming! I love late starts to winter.
A few days ago Barry asked generally if a warm snowless November lead to a snowy or lest snow for the winter season. Well I have not look at all year with little snow in November but there have only been two with no snow at all in November 1906 and 1907 both very low snow winters 30.1″ in 1906/07 and 43.4 in 1907/08.
Slim
The official H/L at Grand Rapids yesterday was 56/39 there was a trace of rain fall. It was another windy day with the highest wind speed of 34 MPH out of the W. There was 15% of possible sunshine. For today the average H/L is 51/35 the record high of 74 was set in 2020 and the record low of 16 was set in 1976 and 1991 (note 1976 was a weak El Nino and 1991 was a strong one) The record rain fall of 0.76” fell in 1916 the record snow fall of 7.5” fell in 1921 and the… Read more »
This morning here in MBY there has been at times heavy cold rain. The current temperature is 36 with heavy rain falling at times.
Slim
Just had a lightning bolt and thunder at my house. Currently 37 here.
Same. We’re getting lightning and thunder too.
Just another cloudy, cold, windy, wet day in paradise! Incredible!
“Today I will start displaying Michigan’s historical weather information for each day only along with the U.S. and international events.”
SWEET. I am a history nerd. 🙂
Same, weather history is really fascinating. Especially if you lived during those past events (or not)