michsnowfreak

Cant remember if I posted this or not, but looking at snowfall after mid-April in Detroit shows that never have more flakes fallen so late with such frequency as they have in the 2020s. Snow has fallen on an average of 4.6 days per year after mid-April in the 2020s, easily #1, with 2nd place being the 1900s at 3.2 days. Also, with an average post mid-April snow of 2.2", the 2020s also blows away 2nd place (1920s - avg 1.3"). As long as the next 5 years manage to see a total of 1.9" or more of snow in this timeframe, the 2020s will finish as the most snowy of any decade for post mid-April snow. 5 years with most days of snow on/after April 15th: 2020- 10 days 1907- 8 days 1947- 7 days 2023- 6 days 1956- 6 days 5 years with heaviest accumulation of snow on/after April 15th 1923- 8.2” 1943- 5.5” 2020- 5.2” 1883- 5.0” 2005- 4.4” Decade Avg days 4/15+ Total snow 4/15+ 1880s 0.5 days 0.6” (total 5.8”) 1890s 0.5 days 0.3” (total 2.7”) 1900s 3.2 days 0.6” (total 6.0”) 1910s 1.4 days 0.3” (total 2.7”) 1920s 2.0 days 1.3” (total 12.9”) 1930s 1.8 days T (total 0.4”) 1940s 1.8 days 0.9” (total 9.3”) 1950s 2.5 days 0.2” (total 1.5”) 1960s 2.1 days 0.5” (total 5.4”) 1970s 1.2 days 0.1” (total 0.8”) 1980s 1.7 days 0.5” (total 5.2”) 1990s 0.7 days 0.1” (total 0.7”) 2000s 1.2 days 0.5” (total 4.5”) 2010s 1.7 days 0.5” (total 5.3”) 2020s 4.6 days 2.2” (total 11.1”) *thru 2024*

Yup. Every Fall the annual search for blues on temp anomaly maps starts once snow becomes possible in October but that color blue becomes less and less important as we get into winter. Huge difference between some warmer than avg temps vs all out torch. It was refreshing how different this was the the last several (I consider it a better winter than '22-23 despite getting 10 more inches of snow then). I'm never one to get too into the whole "drought is a bad sign for winter", but it would be nice if the intense drought in the western half of the country could ease up by this coming Fall.

A November like day today with billowy gray skies, flurries, and gusty winds.

This was my 30th season measuring snowfall. The average is somewhere in the 46-47" range but we had a lot of stellar winters so I'd guesstimate a more realistic longterm avg is 42-45". If nothing else measurable falls this season, my 27.9" will rank as 4th least of the 30 years, behind only '97-98, '11-12, & '23-24. Much like the high snow years don't last forever, neither do the low ones. Keep the ruler ready for '25-26!

Makes sense. Im not expecting a decade long orgy either, but I like the prospects. I am not one who grades a winter soley based on snowfall, I consider all aspects of winter (cold and esp snowcover)...but for those who want JUST snowfall, the biggest worry for non-snowbelt areas of the Lakes is not temps, but a dry winter.

I agree. Obviously cold & dry isnt my first choice, but id take it over any combination starting with "warm" or "mild" anyday. Jan & Feb were the textbook definition of "winter" here. Everything was frozen and the landscape was white. It was not real exciting for a weather enthusiast, but it was absolutely winter in winter. I didnt quote this in the other thread bc I figure we are kinda moving onto early thoughts for next winter, even tho this season may have a few flakes left in it lol. @40/70 Benchmark said "I think we are flipping to -AMO/+PDO, much like the mid to late 70s". I really like this idea. It certainly doesnt mean any location will replicate whatever they had in those seasons, or that no one will get screwed, but the overall trends would likely mean a lot more wintry systems/storms and fun for many. One thing that has always fascinated me throughout the climate period of record is the tendency for very good winters and very blah winters to alternate with each other, both in singular years (good bad good bad) or in clumps (good good bad bad good bad bad good) etc. A majority of wintry climes have had winters that are subpar to their climo for the last several years now, so its inevitable that a change is coming soon. The stretch of great winters a decade ago was not going to last forever, and neither is a stretch of subpar ones. And hopefully the signs start brewing asap.

Its very confusing and what the heck was all that switching back and forth from 1932-37 lol. In any event, while it was definitely a shitty winter in 1936-37, the data in the 1930s seems a bit suspect for MLI/DVN.

We only picked up a T here. Just 0.4" in March, disappointing end to the snow season (although certainly cant rule out a bit more fleeting snow thru April). In fact, I dont do my "winter grade" until April, but basically its been cemented as a C winter for me. Nov/Dec: C-/D+, Jan/Feb: A-/B+, and Mar a D-.

Is this waterford?

A mix of rain, snow and sleet this evening. Hard to believe this is the 10th day this March snow has fallen at some point, despite only 0.4" on the month.

As tcc pointed out, there appears to be a very important M day in early December 1936. Now make no mistake about it, 1936-37 was an absolutely horrendous winter for snowfall in most spots, far worse than 2024-25. I cringe when I hear of it. It is Detroits least snowy winter on record (12.9"), Bostons least snowy on record (9.0") and ranks extremely high on the all time snowless lists in many if not most places. But I'm not sure it should be molines #1. Depending what happened that day in Dec 1936, the true #1 might be 11.1" in 1901-02. However, perhaps it was an ice storm that day, and not snow after all? Do you have access to any old local newspapers? I have access to all Detroit free press since 1837, but I wonder if anyone has access to all newspapers? It would be the best way to find out what happened that day.

Interesting info. While it can't be used for accuracy purposes, it DOES give you the feeling for what were the cold or mild winters, hot or cool summers etc. This combined with whatever newspapers noted at the time gives a rough idea of what the winters are. I'm going to work on a project this year to try and piece together these old years. Just at a glance I find it interesting that there was a heavier concentration of milder winters in the 1840s-50s and colder 1860s-70s, not unlike trends 100 years later.

Picked up a trace of rain with last night's severe threat. Then today's defo gave 0.10" rain and a trace of snow. Temps nearly 40° colder than yesterday at this time.

I found some really old weather data (1839-1872) and was curious if anyone knows or if there's any studies on this...temps were only taken 3 times a day (7am 2pm 9pm) and averaged. Clearly that is not going to be accurate like temps being recorded hourly, but I'm curious how much margin for error the end results would have. Also, does that error have a warm or cold bias or would it be a tossup?

No thank you!