michsnowfreak

Lmao. That is ridiculous to say in April that the best case for the following winter is strong. That makes it sound like a foregone conclusion, and its not even close. Its going to be hilarious to see this thread if it doesnt even hit strong. The biggest surprise imo will be if it actually IS a "SSSSUUUUPPPPEEEERRRR" super nino, you just dont get supers that close. Itll be even funnier if the eastern troughing pattern continues or at the very least a 3rd year in a row where the winter turns out much colder in the east than the wishing of some here.

I think @40/70 Benchmark was being sarcastic lol. Anythings possible but highly doubt the accuracy of that Newark snowfall in the low 40s over a 30-year period. That is a Detroit average. Detroits average snowfall has remained remarkably steady since records began in the 1870s in the low 40s with spikes to mid 40s (late 1800s, 1970s-80s, 2000s-10s) and a surprising 3-4 decade dip to the 30s mid-20th century (1930s-60s). Newark doesnt have the POR NYC has. But we're supposed to believe that the average snowfall suddenly dropped by 10" as soon as official records began and has never returned? Call me skeptical. Especially since theres plenty of documentation (tho not detailed records) of winters the first half of the 1800s showing that interspersed with harsh winters were "mild, open" winters. NYC avg snow 1840s-60s: 42” 1870s- 32.9” 1880s- 32.6” 1890s- 36.3” 1900s- 28.4” 1910s- 30.2” 1920s- 29.5” 1930s- 24.5” 1940s- 32.9” 1950s- 19.9” 1960s- 32.0” 1970s- 22.5” 1980s- 19.7” 1990s- 24.4” 2000s- 28.0” 2010s- 37.9” 2020s- 18.2” so far

Thanks. So we can realistically say super nino winters were: 1877-78, 1888-89, 1957-58, 1965-66, 1972-73, 1982-83, 1991-92, 1997-98, 2015-16. None of these were fun winters, but some were certainly worse than others. Also, no surprise, each winter behaved differently with not just snowfall but more importantly temps. The worst snowfall of the lot (5th worst all-time) was 1965-66, but it was also the 3rd coldest of the lot, and the next worst snowfall (1957-58) was 2nd coldest. Period of record avg snowfall for Detroit is 40.9". The best winters of the lot were 1972-73, 1877-78, 2015-16 and the worst 1965-66, 1957-58, 1982-83. Of course, this is all just for kicks. I do not think we hit super nino. 1877-78: 43.4” 1888-89: 23.2” 1957-58: 18.0” 1965-66: 15.4” 1972-73: 45.0” 1982-83: 20.0” 1991-92: 43.2” 1997-98: 23.4” 2015-16: 35.3” 2023-24: 23.5”

Are the only super events 1877-78, 1982-83, 1997-98, & 2015-16?

Looked at the final rankings of 2025-26 for Detroit: SNOWFALL- 39.5” 74 snowier, 71 less snowy SNOWCOVER (1”+)- 63 days 27 had more, 1 had same, 86 had less TEMP- 25.3F 43 colder, 2 same, 107 warmer ****** I notice theres been so much concentration on the west and the small cold pool, that I didnt really see any rankings for nyc. I have to say, they are impressive considering some recent thoughts theyd never get winter again. SNOWFALL- 43.4” 29 snowier, 128 less snowy SNOWCOVER (1”+)- 43 days 16 had more, 97 had less TEMP- 31.9F 42 colder, 2 same, 113 warmer (since note- this is the 1st time NYC had more snowfall than Detroit since 2015 and just the 2nd time in 20 years. While its not fair to rank two different climates, the snowcover at Detroit would be 4th highest on record for NYC and the temp coldest on record).

2025-26 winter rankings at Detroit: SNOWFALL- 39.5” 74 snowier, 71 less snowy (since 1881) SNOWCOVER (1”+)- 63 days 27 had more, 1 had same, 86 had less (since 1913) TEMP- 25.3F 43 colder, 2 same, 107 warmer (since 1874)

Had 0.1" of slushy wet snow that melted quickly Monday. Then a low at DTW of 22F yesterday and 26F today. Likely winters last hurrah til November (or maybe October ;)).

So glad youre back! Please continue to post so we get the whole experience starting in Fall.

I hope they got creative - like the one I made last April 10th lol

Happy Easter all! We have been getting off and on rain every day here. Nothing heavy, but I've tallied 1.27" the past 5 days (0.84 of it yesterday) which has rapidly caused the grass to grow and become emerald green and the trees to bud. Today, we may get a passing Easter rain OR snow shower.

If patterns are getting stuck, maybe we csn continue the luck with plentiful eastern troughing.

I am NO enso expert, not even close, but I remember a handful of years ago, they were hyping a STRONG (I cant even remember if it was Nino or Nina) event and it failed so bad it was either a cold/warm neutral. Not saying I think this El Nino fails, just that it seems way early to be SO confident in a strong one.

Actually had one of my favorite snow memories as a child. Snowstorm on Jan 14th. I was playing in the deep snow at my grandmas house (which is now my house). Around a foot of snow fell in 8 hours. Very dynamic quick hitting storm.

I wouldnt consider that the impressive feature of this season, Id call it the annoying one lol. It certainly did cut off. After 4 consecutive colder than avg months, March will finish (I estimate) 13th warmest on record as well as 12th least snowy. This winter didnt follow a typical Nina in most aspects, but one thing that did hold true is the fact it was front-mid loaded. February was mostly snow-covered so i dont look at it as harshly as some do wrt below avg snowfall. But Nov-Jan was definitely where the fun was this winter. From salt supplies running short before mid-winter and salt/plow contractors begging for a break, to those same contractors wishing we had a few more runs by mid-March. Above avg snowfall seemed like a lock in January but then Feb-Mar was zzz. I am at 40.1" with DTW 39.4". Longterm avg is around 41" but the current 30-yr avg, high as its ever been due to the snowy 2000s/10s, is 45". While its certainly in the vicinity of an "average" snowfall season, theres no question that cold/snowcover exceeded expectations and snowfall fell short. Knowing how I love snowcover, it should come as no surprise the winter was an easy A but have to knock it to B for the zzzzz mid Feb thru Mar. April is very unpredictable so you never know.

1991-92 wasnt bad here for a strong Nino. Average snowfall, a couple good storms. Mild overall, but multiple cold shots.

I plan to get it! Ive done it with my backyard before, and it's really cool, but sometimes when theres too many details (esp my conifers grow so much each year)...sometimes a simpler, wider landscape is the best choice.

Sunny cold day today. Went to the park and took a pic of a field because i thought this was a cool winter/spring contrast pic.

Some flurries overnight. Few areas north of Detroit got a dusting. 24° this morning as the roller coaster temps continue.

Neither am I. And after 2 cold winters (even though the cold surely would've been colder if this was 15+ years ago) its bound to be at a fever pitch.

This wasn't a typical la nina at all, but when looking at the season as a whole, it definitely was front-mid loaded here. It was great to have plenty of snow/snowcover right at kickoff during the coldest, darkest days. But I could've used one more snowstorm in late Feb/Mar, sun angle be damned.

Going to be interesting to see how the cansips evolves this summer. It had the cold winter lakes/east look last summer and fall while the other seasonals were mild. Its showing another cold winter in those same areas for 2026-27.

The ridge west, trough east alignment seems to be almost stuck. Not literally, of course it moves, but it has been dominant lately so no need to think it cant continue next winter. It was dominant for almost a decade it seemed if we look back just 11-12 years or so. And of course it goes without saying that the blazing SW is doing the heavy lifting for ranking conus winter warmth. Chuck and I have discussed, I personally dont worry about "cold" when it comes to snow. Its more about storm tracks. You can absolutely apply that to the Great Lakes and New England. Further south, of course its different. We have now had 2 cold winters in a row. With an El Nino coming Id be very surprised to see a 3rd cold winter in a row locally. The last 2 winters here have been cold and snowcovered with powder which is my favorite, but not gonna lie, with the biggest storm this winter 6.2" and biggest last winter 4.6", a milder winter would likely send more dynamic winter storms into this area. Historically its a mix, but for the last 3 decades, milder winters have produced some real dynamic snowstorms.

It was a great winter here as well. It was like the pre party to a fantastic 2005-2015. It was cold and dry west of the lakes though.

2002-03 like would definitely be an interesting outcome!

Idk. No snowflakes in April is rare. But meaningful snow, thats another story.