Winters since 1950 by decade.
There has been some discussion as to how winters now compared to what they were in years past. Is there less snow? Are they shorter? And are they warmer? This week I have looked at each decade going back to the winter of 1949/50 to see how the average snowfall, days of snow on the ground and the mean temperature has been in each ten year period. At Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Lansing
The 1950’s Grand Rapids had a annual average of 73.5” Muskegon had 80.0” Lansing had 45.3” but had 3 years missing. The all time record snowfall amount of 132.0” fell at Grand Rapids in the 1950’s The lowest season only had 33.2” At Muskegon the decade most snowfall was 117.0” and the least was 37.5” in the seven years of records at Lansing the most was 88.8” and the least was just 20.7” The number of days with 1” or more of snow on the ground at Grand Rapids was 62 at Muskegon it was 71 and Lansing it was 59. The mean temperature in the 1950’s for meteorological winter was 26.4° at GR 26.8 at Muskegon and 26.6 at Lansing.
The 1960’s At Grand Rapids the average snowfall was 82.3” at Lansing it was 45.7” and at Muskegon it was 25.9” the most in one season was 104.3” at Grand Rapids, 8.4” at Lansing and 68.3 at Muskegon. The average number of days with 1” or more on the ground was 85 at GR, 74 at Lansing and 91 at Muskegon. The most days of snow on the ground was 114 at GR. 108 at Lansing and 117 at Muskegon. The least number of days with snow on the ground was 58 at GR, 51 at Lansing and 64 at Muskegon. The average met winter temperature was 24.0 at GR, 24.2 at Lansing and 25.0 at Muskegon.
The 1970’s In the 1970’s Grand Rapids had a average 77.9” of snowfall with 101.0 the most and 64.0 the least. At Lansing the average was 62.5” with 75.3 most and 31.6 least. At Muskegon the average was 117.5 with the most 164.8 and the least 76.8 The average number of days with snow on the ground 90 at Grand Rapids, 82 at Lansing and 97 at Muskegon. The mean temperature for met winter was 23.1 at GR, 22.5 at Lansing and 24.8 at Muskegon.
The 1980’s In the 1980’s the 10 year average seasonal average snow fall was 65.6’ at Grand Rapids, 49.9’ at Lansing and 104.4” at Muskegon. The most snowfall in any one winter season was 96.0” at Grand Rapids 62.1” at Lansing and 173.9 at Muskegon. The least was 35.9 at GR, 33.5 at Lansing and 35.5” at Muskegon. That average number of days with 1” or more on the ground was 73 at GR and Lansing and 81 at Muskegon. The meteorological winter mean temperature was 24.6 at GR, 23.1 at Lansing and 24.7 at Muskegon.
The 1990’s During the 1990’s only GR has complete records for snow fall. At GR the average seasonal snow fall was 73.8” the most was 98.4” and the least was 54.9” At Lansing they had a average of 51.5” of snow fall with the most being 67.4” and the least 36.4” there are 4 years missing at Muskegon but in the 6 that have records the average is 99.7” with the most being 136.8 and the least 68.8. As for average days with 1” or more on the ground Grand Rapids had 64. With 8 years in the record books Lansing had 6 the record are incomplete for Muskegon. As for the meteorological winter mean temperature it was 26.6 at Grand Rapids, 25.9 at Lansing and 27.5 at Muskegon.
The 2000’s At GR the average 10 year snowfall amount was 85.7” the most was 107.0 the least was 54.5” The snowfall records are incomplete at Lansing, At Muskegon with 8 years in the records the average was 80.6” the most was 148.2” and the least was 43.4” The average number of days with 1 or more inches on the ground during this time was 68 at GR Missing at Lansing and 70 at Muskegon. The average meteorological winter mean temperature was 26.3 at Grand Rapids, 25.4 at Lansing and 27.7 at Muskegon.
2010 to present. In the last 13 years the average annual 72.2snowfall at Grand Rapids was 72.2” the most was 116.0” and the least was 46.1” at Lansing the average was 47.9” most was 69.8” and the least was 30.2” a Muskegon the average was 82.2” the most was 148.2 and the least was 41.8. The average number of days with 1” or more on the ground 68 at GR, 65 at Lansing and 72 at Muskegon. As for the average meteorological winter mean temperature it has been 26.8 at GR, 26.3 at Lansing and 28.3 at Muskegon.
So are we getting less snowfall now compared to the past? At Grand Rapids the 1950’s 73.5” The 1960’s 82.3” the 1970’s 77.9” the 1980’s 65.6” the 1990’s 73.8” The 2000’s 85.7” and 20010 to last year 72.2” Not a real big difference is average snowfall at Grand Rapids BUT it has been getting warmer during the meteorological winter so that snowfall averages could fall in the coming years.
It has been a warm overnight in MBY with the temperature staying at 50 for the low and there is now some light rain falling. The official H/L yesterday was 54/36 there was no rain/snow. GR is now just under 10″ below average in the snowfall department and will add to that in the coming days. At it looks to stay mostly snow free for a long time yet. There was 33% of sunshine yesterday. For today the average H/L is 38/26 the record high of 59 was set in 1946 and the record low of -1 was set in 1964. The most rain fall of 0.81″ fell in 1907 the most snow fall of 4.6″ fell in 1995 the most snow on the ground was 4.6″ in 1909. Last year the H/L was 34/28 and there was 0.6″ of snowfall.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
301 AM EST SAT DEC 9 2023
LATEST UPDATE...
SHORT TERM/LONG TERM/MARINE
SHORT TERM
(TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY)
ISSUED AT 301 AM EST SAT DEC 9 2023
THERE ARE TWO SETS OF IMPACTS THAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON IN THE SHORT
TERM. THESE IMPACTS ARE WINDS TODAY, AND THEN SNOW SHOWER POTENTIAL
FOCUSED ON VERY LATE TONIGHT AND ON SUNDAY.
WE WILL BE ISSUING A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH MID-
AFTERNOON. RAIN SHOWERS ARE NOW DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA AS THE LOW
LEVEL JET OUT AHEAD OF THE INCOMING COLD FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH
RIGHT NOW. THE COLD FRONT IS BACK ACROSS CENTRAL IL MARKED BY A
SOLID LINE OF CONVECTIVE SHOWERS AND A STARK WIND SHIFT. WE CAN
EXPECT ON AND OFF SHOWERS UNTIL THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WHICH WILL BE
BETWEEN 12 AND 18Z ACROSS JUST ABOUT ALL OF THE AREA. A RUMBLE OF
THUNDER CAN NOT BE TOTALLY RULED OUT AS 925 AND 850 MB BASED LI'S
ARE AROUND 0C.
THE BIGGER FEATURE ON CONCERN IS THE WIND IMMEDIATELY ALONG AND JUST
BEHIND THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE THOUGHT ALL ALONG HAS BEEN FOR
SOME GUSTY WINDS WITH A FAIRLY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND INITIAL
SURGE OF COLDER AIR COMING IN. THE TREND HAS BEEN FOR STRONGER WINDS
WITH HREF MEAN WIND GUSTS 40-45 MPH AND EURO ENSEMBLE MEAN WINDS 40+
MPH. THESE WINDS WILL NOT LAST ESPECIALLY LONG, BUT WILL BE LONG
ENOUGH AND WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY ISSUING A WIND ADVISORY FOR
THE ENTIRE AREA.
WE SHOULD SEE MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF THE AFTERNOON BEHIND
THE SFC FRONT PASSAGE. THIS IS DUE TO THE SHORT WAVE RIDGING THAT
BUILDS IN BEHIND THE INITIAL WAVE. THIS WILL CHANGE THEN THIS
EVENING AS WE SEE THE SECONDARY UPPER FEATURE, A CLOSED UPPER LOW
THAT WILL ROTATE INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL FIRE UP A FEW RAIN SHOWERS
INITIALLY WITH THE WAVE.
THE SHOWERS WILL TRANSITION FROM RAIN SHOWERS BEING ASSOCIATED
DIRECTLY WITH THE THE LOW, TO MORE BANDED LAKE EFFECT RAIN AND
EVENTUALLY SNOW SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT AND THROUGH SUNDAY WITH LONG
WAVE TROUGHING/CYCLONIC FLOW IN PLACE. THE SET UP FOR LAKE EFFECT IS
MARGINAL AT BEST, WITH JUST A CHANCE OF SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ON
GRASSY AREAS CONSIDERING THE RECENT WARMER WEATHER HAS WARMED UP
PAVEMENT TEMPS.
THE COLDEST OF THE AIR COMING IN IS AS LOW AS ABOUT -10C FOR JUST A
SHORT TIME CENTERED AROUND THE LATE SUNDAY TIME FRAME. THAT IS
SUFFICIENT FOR LAKE EFFECT WITH THE DELTA T'S AROUND 15-16C. THE
PROBLEM IS THAT EVEN LAKE MODIFIED SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT THE DGZ
IS BARELY SATURATED AS THERE IS JUST NOT THAT COLD OF AIR IN THE MID
AND UPPER LEVELS TO HELP WITH THE CONVECTIVE HEIGHTS AND SATURATING
THE DGZ. THIS WILL REALLY LIMIT THE POTENTIAL FOR ANY IMPACTFUL
ACCUMULATIONS, ALONG WITH SFC TEMPS WELL INTO THE 30S ALL DAY
SUNDAY.
LONG TERM
(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)
ISSUED AT 301 AM EST SAT DEC 9 2023
LIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD BE WINDING DOWN SUNDAY NIGHT
INTO MONDAY MORNING AS THE THERMAL TROUGH AXIS MOVES EAST AND
INVERSION HEIGHTS LOWER BELOW 5 KFT.
AN UPPER LOW SWINGS THROUGH SE CANADA TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WITH
TROUGHING EXTENDING SOUTH INTO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES BUT FORECAST
SOUNDINGS ARE DRY AND THE POLAR JET REMAINS NORTH OF THE AREA, SO WE
WILL MAINTAIN THE DRY FORECAST THROUGH THURSDAY.
Detailed Forecast for Grand Rapids
From Michigan Storm Chasers:
Highest wind gusts so far today:
Grand Rapids 59 mph
Holland 55 mph
Benton Harbor airport 52 mph
South Haven beach 49 mph
Holland airport 47 mph
Muskegon airport 47 mph
Ionia 46 mph
Wow 59 mph? That’s high wind warning criteria
21% of consumers customers have no power in Ionia County. All together about 25,000 consumers customers in MI.
Just had a very significant gust of wind move through at my house. Almost like a microburst. Many outages coming in here in Ionia County.
More than enough bitter cold temps, snow for shoveling/blowing, ice covered roads, and wind chill inducing W/NW winds through April. Life in the Southern Arctic.
The second week of December and waking up to the 50s with lightning over Lake Michigan? That’s pretty wild.
It seems like we had more snow back in the day, but the data shows otherwise. Perhaps the gradual warming has caused the snow to melt and not stick around for extended periods of time, and that’s why it SEEMS that we had more snow back then? Just a thought.
I was going to inquire as to the last time we had gone from mid Oct through
Dec without a wind advisory being posted, and then this morning we get an advisory (albeit) barely meeting criteria, and a short duration advisory at that…
Hm good observation, we haven’t had many windy fall storms this year
A lot of numbers today, thanks Slim! To bad there aren’t snow records kept at Holland, it would be interesting to see those numbers. The past several years the lake snow has been almost nonexistent, especially last year when there was a lot more snow inland than by the lake.
I saw your comment from yesterday. Sorry about your recent losses, Barry.
Thank you Mark. The uncle that passed last week was a driving force “behind the scenes” in the past of the restaurant I’m now rebuilding.
Note at the current time Grand Rapids with just 0.1″ of snowfall this December is on pace for a record or near record low snow fall total for the month of December. Grand Rapids is already at one of the lowest snowfall totals for this late in the season.
Slim