michsnowfreak

Yes. They got slammed right in a weenie band. Parts of the UP really got slammed, and I always feel a bit like "hey you get enough LES" when the synoptic snow hits northern MI instead of southern MI. As for Minneapolis, they certainly can get clocked in March/April (April 2018 was record smashing). But in mid-winter when its so cold but they have little or no natural snowcover, its a bit of a downer for winter rec. The great thing about this winter and the times we live in, is that ski resorts can make as much snow as they want. It was a fantastic winter for skiiers and ice fishermen throughout the entire states of MN, WI, and MI. Even on our ski hills in southeast MI they are still open and skiing.

You said it best, this was a pattern we have not seen in a long time. And lets not forget that Pensacola and New Orleans technically had a larger 24-hour snowfall than many of us. Some weather weenies are strictly give me snow and thats it, while others are all about all-things winter; cold, snowfall, snowcover, storms etc. But I think we all can agree that regardless of what we like, we have to include all factors to gauge the severity of a winter. Just like that winter severity index they have. I said it the other day but its worth repeating, I saw 10"+ more snowfall in winters like 2016-17, 2019-20 that were 5-6F warmer than 2024-25.

The Northwest flow is basically what saved January in MI from being the cold, frozen disaster it was just to our west. We were able to squeeze out enough snowfalls for a white month...while they had temps in the -10s and -20s with bare ground in MN and WI.

Sign me up and let me know who I can send the payment to!

See now the 80s I can totally dig. Cold decade for the most part, and very solid snowfall. No massive storms, just lots of solid ones. Only winter of the 80s that Ill pass on is 1982-83 and 1988-89.

Oh boy, the east coast should salivate then. Actually, Id consider this winter of 2024-25 pretty similar HERE to a typical 1960s winter. Below avg snow but we were able to stretch it far with the number of days with snow on the ground.

Just goes to show the different patterns in different regions. La Ninas arent necessarily a bad thing here tho, and those early 1930s winters were very mild. On one of my snow sheets I jotted down some highlights of this crappy time in our snow climo. Some of the highlights (or should I say lowlights): 1931-32: still stands as 2nd warmest winter on record 1932-33: After Jan ’32 saw just 0.9” snow, Jan ’33 sets the all time low with 0.4” 1936-37: still stands as least snowy winter (12.9”) on record 1937-38: largest storm just 2.4”; the 5th consecutive winter without a 5”+ storm 1941-42: mild winter; max snow depth 3”; only 1 winter of last 6 has exceeded 4” depth! 1943-44: mild winter nonexistent til Feb, but Feb sees the decades ONLY 6”+ storm! 1945-46: 2nd “Morch” in a row; no measurable snow after Feb 27, earliest on record 1948-49: 13.7” total snow, only 17 days with snow on ground, max depth 4” 1952-53: 16.6” total snow; Max depth of entire winter 2”, lowest on record 1957-58: 18.0” total snow, biggest storm just 2.1”, the smallest “biggest of season” on record 1960-61: cold but only 18.0” of snow; everything hit the east coast 1965-66: warm wet start then cold & very dry; only 15.4” snow 1968-69: 17.1” snow, the 7th sub-20” winter in 33 years! The last time Detroit didn’t hit 20”+ Snowiest winter of 1930s: 66.5” in 1929-30 Least snowy winter of 1930s: 12.9” in 1936-37 Warmest winter of 1930s: 1931-32 (stands as 2nd warmest) Coldest winter of 1930s: 1935-36 (stands as 9th coldest) Snowiest winter of 1940s: 44.4” in 1942-43 (snowiest winter of decade is our current avg) Least snowy winter of 1940s: 13.7” in 1948-49 Warmest winter of 1940s: 1948-49 (stands as 17th warmest) Coldest winter of 1940s: 1944-45 (stands as 21st coldest) Snowiest winter of 1950s: 58.6” in 1951-52 Least snowy winter of 1950s: 16.6” in 1952-53 Warmest winter of 1950s: 1952-53 (stands as 15th warmest) Coldest winter of 1950s: 1958-59 (stands as 18th coldest) Snowiest winter of 1960s: 50.6” in 1966-67 Least snowy winter of 1960s: 15.4” in 1965-66 Warmest winter of 1960s: 1965-66 (stands as 45th warmest) Coldest winter of 1960s: 1962-63 (stands as 5th coldest)

DTW's 26.7" is -12.3" to date. More promise in MSP than here, although knowing our Mar/Apr history and the forecast SSW, I definitely can see some more snow following next weeks warmup. Every year in late winter/spring I mention how annoying the phrase "stat padder" snow is, but this year itll be even more annoying . After we stretched this seasons snowfall pretty far with snowcover days, it absolutely wouldnt hurt to bump up the total with some "stat padder" snow.

Icy roads this morning with flash freeze and a dusting of snow. Temps fell to 27F with wind chills in the teens following yesterdays 56F and damp. Sounds like lots of accidents this morning with the icy roads. The temp fall was forecast, so not sure why they didnt salt good. Lord knows they had no problem dumping heaps of salt from late Nov thru Feb lol. Storm total imby 0.79" precip, 0.2" snow. DTW 0.86" precip, 0.2" snow. Season snow is at 27.7" imby and 26.7" DTW.

Yes, in narrow bands. And probably the open Plains. I mean, I always take the word "blizzard" with a grain of salt because so many of our great storms feel and look like a blizzard in every sense of the word but are technically not. It's why unlike many I couldn't care less whether it's a winter storm warning or blizzard warning. I don't make or agree with the official NWS definition of a blizzard, but it is what it is.

Yes it did. Although I'm sure every generations old timers always said winters of their youth were harder. It would just be particularly funny from the 1930s-50s. I give the 1960s a pass because they were cold winters, just often with a very suppressed storm track. The 1930s and 1950s winters were mild, with several of them very high up on the warmest list. A few good snowstorms popped in from time to time, but it was a lot of bare ground and thaws. Januarys in the first half of the 1930s were horrendous. The 1940s weren't necessarily as warm, but they were terrible for snow. There a few 1940s warm snowless winters, and then several colder but dry ones, and also a few colder ones with poorly times storms (rain/ice). Pretty much every area in the region had plenty of shit winters in those decades, and I can name several from each of those decades that had a futility/weakness the likes of which I've never experienced. I can't even imagine what would be said if they happened today. You'll notice how frequently winters are compared to a baseline of 1970 or so...those mid-20th century winters need to be swept under the rug by many who try to assert "winters ain't what they used to be".

Wouldn't surprise me in some of those lakeshore areas, though I don't see any official obs that it was a blizzard. Definitely blizzard conditions though.

Skyrocketed MSP up to 25.6", so they are still well below normal. However additional potential likely lies ahead in March. I thought Rochester MN would do better. They only got around 3" and sit at 15.8" on season.

Actually we have a wind advisory now

In my part of the Great Lakes Id consider the last 10 winters, if I had to sum it up in a nutshell without getting into the details of each winter, I would say it was above average temps with near average snowfall. Of course....the sum of the 10 years prior to that would be near to slightly below average temperatures and well above average snowfall. Now, we DID have historic winters in the 2007-15 timeframe, and while we really came down post-2015, theres been nothing close to snow futility. Detroits snow climo is pretty consistent overall, and the most glaring thing in the snow-record is the low snowfall which spanned the entire middle third of the 20th century. It was a timeframe characterized by mild winters with low snow and cold, dry winters with low snow. Really bad times for the snow lover. It sticks out like a sore thumb (and ive done ample research to verify the validity of the data, its legit). It went on for 3-4 DECADES. Nowadays panic buttons for various issues are pressed after less than 3-4 YEARS. Where do I sit midway thru the 2020s? Well, the last complete decade (2010s) was our snowiest on record, and the decade before that (2000s) was above avg too. Halfway thru the 2020s we are running a bit below the longterm avg, but nothing close to earth shattering. Looks more normal up and down to me. If I had to make a guess (and its just a GUESS) at what the future decades hold for our region, Id say snowfall averages will largely remain steady in the 38-45" range. The increase in winter temp (which is centered heavily around December) has increased precip, which helps increase snow. Lake effect influence also has increased here as well (tho obviously nothing close to the belts). I saw less snow this winter, a winter which finished a degree colder than normal, than I have recently seen in winters that finished 4-5F warmer than normal. Just goes to show that each winter truly is unique, but in a region surrounded by Great Lakes and multiple ways to get snow, I would not be worried in the least about snowfall. Detroit avg decadal snow 1870s- 46.0” (only 1874-79) 1880s- 44.4” 1890s- 42.7” 1900s- 46.3” 1910s- 39.7” 1920s- 46.1” 1930s- 32.9” 1940s- 27.8” 1950s- 37.8” 1960s- 31.8” 1970s- 45.6” 1980s- 45.2” 1990s- 37.9” 2000s- 45.3” 2010s- 49.9” 2020s- 37.9” (only 2020-24) 1874-2024- 41.0"

Ive learned over the years that there are very few TRUE blizzards. Quite a few strong storms have blizzard or near blizzard conditions, but very few true blizzards. I see time and time again these NWS offices issue blizzard warnings and when you check the conditions, it does not end up being a blizzard. Many times its not even really close. Locally, the storms of 1999, 2005, and 2015 and Im sure multiple others had the criteria met for snow reducing visibility to 1/4 or less for 3+ consecutive hours, but sustained winds were not 35mph+.

Looks like Lansing had 1.4". I had 7.0". Easily best storm of 1995-96. The cutoff March 20, 1996 was not nearly as extreme as March 25/26, 2002 when 8-12" fell downriver to Monroe, 4-5" DTW, 0 Ann Arbor/Pontiac.,

MI has had many advisories this year lol, and some warnings too. The hole of no advisories is due to the L pressure tracking through the mitten, wrapping the advisory+ level wind around us.

bullseye right over MSP/SE MN.

Much of our sub is on the list. We have a very low risk of catastrophic earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes. 4 seasons and minimal catastrophe risk? Ill take it! Michigan - #1 Minnesota - #2 Illinois - #3 Vermont - #4 Ohio - #5 Colorado - #6 Maryland - #7 Maine - #8 New Hampshire - #9 Montana - #10

Last thing Ill say about NYC snowfall (not saying anything about temps). I dont live there, nor will I ever, so I have NO stake whatsoever in the climate there. I just feel theres way too much twisting of data in looking for what the future holds for their snowfall. What I DO know is that no one will have the answer for several more decades of actual data that hasnt yet happened. NYC literally just had a stretch of 8 of 13 years seeing 40"+ snowfall. Funny how winters of yore arent so yore when you look up the snow data. The last 9 winters to feature 40"+ snowfall go back 23 years. Prior to that, it took 79 years. 40”+ NYC winters 1923-24 thru 1956-57: 2 of 34 1957-58 thru 1966-67: 4 of 10 1967-68 thru 2001-02: 3 of 35 2002-03 thru 2014-15: 8 of 13 2015-16 thru 2024-25: 1 of 10 1923-24 thru 2001-02: 9 of 79 years 2002-03 thru 2024-25: 9 of 23 years

Shows he has not been active since September. While Im sure he has had plenty of snow, his region of the UP is actually in a pocket of below avg snowfall, with the much heavier totals being to their west (Keewenaw) and east (Sault Ste Marie).

Once we break sustained winter, I always hope the March/April roller coaster is a fun one. Lets get a good dynamic snowstorm and some t-storms too.

This year was a very unique winter. Storm tracks cutting to the Great Lakes is a bit misleading, because there werent really any big winter storms. Just lots of small and a few moderate ones. I know NYC is a completely different climate than the Great Lakes (or New England), but I just dont see how you can make any assertion of what the future holds for winter snowfall in your area. Ive always thought that its ridiculous to be SO closely removed from our widespread period of record snow (roughly 2007-18, depending on area), that some assert that while we JUST got over the snowiest period in the climate record, a handful of low-snow winters are the "new norm" and itll only get worse. Absolutely no science behind that. Snowfall and temps DO NOT always go hand in hand. There is less and less of a correlation between the two the further north you go obviously. But theres also a bit too much obsession over temp departures IMO. If you go back to last Fall, SO many were certain that a warm, if not torch, winter was on the way, that the fact that it ended up as a colder than normal winter is throwing some onto the defensive, once again bringing up colder periods in the climate record. That is all a moot point. It was PLENTY cold for more snow than fell virtually everywhere, sometimes storm tracks just dont cooperate. In fact, from a longterm perspective, I kinda like how we saw the cold this winter, despite the underwhelming snowfall, because it throws another wrench in all these assumptions for the future of snowfall in certain areas. And Im talking more for your area, as I already well KNEW that my area's snowfall is far less dependent on whether we have a cold or mild winter. I can take the coldest average period of NYC's climate record and its still a top 10 warm winter for Detroit, yet NYC has had about 30 winters in their climate record with 40"+ snow (Detroits avg is 45").

Same here. First below avg temp, below avg snow season (barring a huge late season storm) since 2003-04. Certainly a combo not seen in a long time. Everyone likes what they like, but IMO the whole "only snow matters, not temps" mantra I see seems contradictory. Almost like an excuse for an unexpectedly cold, dry winter. If temps don't count, then all this discussion about mild winters since 2015-16 is really worthless. You and I can easily see good snowfall in mild winters, just doesn't have the same "feel" as a more sustained winter. While I'm a huge weather geek, I also love all things winter. There was plenty of winter to enjoy this season, but there was little weather geek excitement.