slow poke

Snowing hard here in the southern thumb in the Mitt, northern St Clair county, have between 5”-6” on the ground now. Actually looks like a mid winter morning out there for a change. Going to have to plow the driveway for only the 3rd time all winter, once in Nov, once in Jan and now today. We have to run into town tonight, Port Huron, there should be more snow over that way if this wind direction keeps up for a while.

Alpena has really been in a snow drought the past 10 years or so. My aunt and uncle used to live on Long Lake just just north of town, we would go there snowmobiling back in the early and mid 90’s before we had our own cabin. I remember back in the winter of 95/96 going up there and the big round bails of hay, the 5’+ tall ones, were almost completely covered out in the farm fields where we would ride, just incredible deep snow for anywhere in MI let alone north east Lower MI. North of Alpena around the Roger City area does get quite a bit of lake effect snow off of Huron though.

I feel the “Met” seasons fit for the most part at least in south east MI. To me March-May are Spring ish months, can you get winter and summer weather during that time frame, absolutely. Just like we can get Fall and Spring type weather in the “Met” winter months of December-February. In northern MI, March is definitely a winter month, no question but down here it fits in the Spring category I feel. For what it’s worth my deepest snow depths up at our cabin have almost always been the first week of March since we’ve had a place up there the past 18 years.

You should have decent snow up in Munising when you’re up there. My bro n law just got back from snowmobiling up there all weekend and said there’s pretty good snow but they could definitely use more. On our way home from our place up at Higgins yesterday there’s good snow till you get just south of west Branch, then it’s like a switch and someone turned off the snow. We have about 14” of really heavy snow at our place right now. It’s crazy that 175 miles north and 400 feet of elevation can look so different then around home, it’s like a totally different world with deep snow, people out ice fishing compared to home with extremely green grass for this time of year and no ice on any lakes to be found. It kinda reminds me of out west in the mountains when you can have warm weather and bare ground down in towns and valleys at lower elevations and deep snow just a hour or less just up the mountain.

I agree, lots of rain during December and January doesn’t equal a active time to me. When I hear people say “ but we’ve had average snowfall to this point” I can’t stop thinking it sounds like a Detroit Lions fan when they say “but we had the lead in all of our losses this season so we’re so close to being a good team”

I would be interested to see how the lake belts are doing if it were broke down by decade. To me it seems like the belts in northern lower MI had more snow back in the 90's but that's just me thinking back with nothing to base that off of other then snowmobiling up there since the mid 80's and always trying to find the deepest snow to play in when we could. The UP MI belts seem like they haven't changed much over the years to me, they pretty much always have great snow in the areas I have been going to for the past 30+ years. The SW MI belts seem like they have seen a decline to me, growing up my best friend had family in Paw Paw that we would go visit often and I remember them having crazy deep snow a lot of the time when back here in SE MI we would have very little. Now it seems like they don't get all that much more then what we get out this way. A big question I would ask is have the measuring techniques of the snow changed over the years at all and could that have a effect on the overall increases in the long term averages? Like measuring 2x a day verse 1x or certain times of the day type thing. I have no idea how "official" measuring is done but have wondered if the techniques have changed at all over the years could that have any effect on the long term averages?

Really enjoy the pics you and Will post, please guys keep posting them. It helps us snow starved trolls, a troll is what the Yooper's call us that live south of the bridge, remember what deep mid winter conditions are supposed to look like north of the 45th parallel. At our place at Higgins Lake which is about 30 miles south of the 45th parallel, we've had a decent amount of snow so far this season but we've had a lot of rain and warm weather in between the snows. Sounds like cooler weather "should" start kicking in latter this week into the weekend and hopefully that allow whatever snow that does fall stay around.

Would be a good year for it.

I would consider November having 7 days of true winter like conditions after the Veterans Day snow storm at my place where we had a little over 10” on the ground after that storm. It left the grass covered and looked and felt like winter for that week following the storm.

Good point snowfreak about the UP rebuilding their crazy deep snow depths after many areas were down to very little snow starting January out with. At our place at Higgins Lake there was no snow at Christmas and the snow really didn’t start kicking in till mid January, once it started snowing though it got deep up there till the second weekend in March. They also got a few big snow storms in April that added to the season totals but only stuck around for a couple weeks. I really thought we were due for a good snowy long winter this year but with December being a no show again this year even if we start getting winter weather in January it going to be another short winter season in lower MI.

Funny how people can look at things so differently when it comes to weather. Just talking MI I thought last winter was “ok” at best except for the UP snow belts. Even there the season started a little later then normal I thought but once it got going it was good up there. The season seemed really short to me, about mid January to early March, in the lower even though snow fall was about average from West Branch north. Down state I thought the winter was really bad if you’re a fan of cold and snow. We had a cold outbreak in January for a little bit but I don’t remember anything other then that actually. As far as the snow being wiped out in the UP, I think they’ll be ok up there, they have a really good deep base already. I bet you would be fine to still go up and ride for the foreseeable future. Just my take but again, everyone looks at things different.

I really don’t have any thoughts making me think my state, MI, will be snowier/not or colder/warmer then normal this winter other then thinking everything “averages” out over time normally. Playing the average out with time game would have me thinking south east MI “should” have a little more snow then normal with average temps. Probably snow around the holidays to make up for last year even though Christmas of 2017 was incredibly snowy at my house in the southern Thumb area. Northern MI has really been a different situation though, the snow belts have been averaging about normal snow the past 20 years but outside the main snow belts it’s been a different story. Our place up north, 10 miles south of Grayling, averages about 90” of snow per season, 9 out of the past 19 seasons have been below average, 9 have been about average with only 1 season, 2008-2009, being above average. To say the non main snow belt areas are due for a above average snow season would be a understatement. Is this the new normal up there? Maybe but I feel northern MI is probably due for a above normal snow season with about average to slightly above temps. Just my thoughts as a weather observer for nearly 50 years, not a professional meteorologist.

Big chunk of the lake belt areas in MI are really starting to have it pile up. My cousin's place half way between Paradise and White fish point in the UP has 30" on the ground as of this morning according to his snow removal guy. Looks like these areas are picking up right where they left off last spring with a deep snow pack.