michsnowfreak

Thanks for clarifying! I'm about 7 miles due east of DTW.

Fun thread to follow since last summer/fall, but If I was a forecaster (locally, let alone nationally) I would've failed miserably this winter. Im at 27.5" of snow on the season to date, the largest snowstorm was a 2-day event of 4.8", and without hesitation I can say that the cold and days with snowcover exceeded my expectations while the snowfall and storminess fell short. January and February were pretty enjoyable for the winter lover in me (lots of scenic winter days, frequent snow, hikes/walks, sledding with nephews, etc) but there was little in the way of big excitement. It behaved unlike any nina in memory. I'll definitely be following the thread for next winter, but will have little confidence in what will happen, regardless of what the consensus is.

I always forget, which of the DVN sites are you closest to? Or are you kind of in no man's land for first order stations?

I have a small balsam that came from deep in the Northwoods 3 years ago. Always feed it plenty of snow so it grows in its natural habitat . It had quite a drink this week.

A cold, white February finishes mild & bare. Definitely a very unique Jan-Feb here with the ground having at least some white nearly all the time, but only 1 good week (mid Feb) of deep snow. Only 3 of the 55 days from Jan 3 - Feb 26 had 0 snow depth at DTW. The DTX NWS office, located in the higher/colder elevations of northern Oakland county, has had continuous 1"+ snowdepth the entire time (and still reports 2" today). Daily Snow Depth Data for Detroit, MI 2025-01-03 T 2025-01-04 T 2025-01-05 T 2025-01-06 T 2025-01-07 T 2025-01-08 T 2025-01-09 T 2025-01-10 T 2025-01-11 4 2025-01-12 3 2025-01-13 3 2025-01-14 3 2025-01-15 4 2025-01-16 4 2025-01-17 4 2025-01-18 2 2025-01-19 2 2025-01-20 2 2025-01-21 2 2025-01-22 2 2025-01-23 2 2025-01-24 3 2025-01-25 3 2025-01-26 2 2025-01-27 2 2025-01-28 1 2025-01-29 1 2025-01-30 T 2025-01-31 0 2025-02-01 T 2025-02-02 T 2025-02-03 1 2025-02-04 0 2025-02-05 0 2025-02-06 T 2025-02-07 T 2025-02-08 T 2025-02-09 1 2025-02-10 1 2025-02-11 1 2025-02-12 T 2025-02-13 4 2025-02-14 4 2025-02-15 3 2025-02-16 6 2025-02-17 7 2025-02-18 7 2025-02-19 6 2025-02-20 6 2025-02-21 6 2025-02-22 5 2025-02-23 5 2025-02-24 4 2025-02-25 2 2025-02-26 T

To each their own. I'll root on snow and cold thru April every year. As was said earlier, we can root for whatever we want, but mother nature has the final say.

It references March 2012, an extraordinary warm spell that had widespread 70s and some 80s for several weeks which caused very early greenup and blooming which destroyed crops when April freezes hit. A less extreme version of this occurred in 1945 with the same result. Mild is one thing, but record warmth is bad for fruit growers because spring freezes are pretty much a guarantee.

Ground is all bare now other than some snow piles and plow piles.

I know they dont mean anything by it, but every year without fail (regardless of what kind of winter we have), the cool thing to do on this board is to hope for "Morch" and those of us who root on spring snowstorms are crazy. It makes legit zero sense to me why anyone would root on an agricultural disaster. Fortunately, nothing close to 2012 has happened since.

I get what goes into the drought monitor, but its still funny to see SE MI in "abnormally dry" when the recent snowmelt/rain on frozen ground has made it a mushy MESS outside.

Of course there were ups and downs, there are almost every winter. But it was still a colder than avg winter. Had plenty of winter fun here in January/February despite the lack of big storms, so my issue is not getting a mid-March torch. My issue was how saying 10 days out is too far to worry about ptype to which your crystal ball told you ill be disappointed. Look Cromartie, youve been pretty well behaved as "Maxim", so kudos on that, but Im still going to call out BS when I see it.

I know youre disappointed it wasnt the warm winter you continuously called for, but i dont see how saying that a storm signal 10-11 days out is too early to call p-type is setting myself up for disappointment

Wayyy too far out to even guess p-type. Ensembles definitely like a swath of snow ~March 9th

Had pillowcases falling from the sky earlier today, enough evap cooling for an hour or so of MASSIVE snowflakes (pic doesn't do justice). Picked up 0.6" of slushy snow here and 0.5" DTW. Pretty much a narrow area from Monroe and Adrian to Ann Arbor and DTW had the accumulating wet snow. North and South of there was just light rain, and the snow turned to light rain once intensity lightened. Season to date snowfall 27.5" here with 26.5" DTW. DTX earlier: A narrow band of heavy snow embedded within a broader band of rain will track across Metro Detroit over the next 1 to 2 hours. Where snow develops, large flakes may reduce visbility to less than 1 mile and lead to minor slushy accumulations. Temperatures will remain above freezing through the aftenoon, but heavy snow may still lead to some slick spots. Drivers should exercise caution.

It's nowhere near normal for Ohio, and it never has been. Columbus averages 27 days per winter with 1"+ snowdepth. Since 1948, there have been 12 winters with less than 10 days total of 1"+ snowcover, the least being just 3 days in the winter of 1949-50. Columbus has had just 5 winters since 1948 that have exceeded Detroits annual average of 1"+ snowcover days (49), and Detroit has never averaged snowcover without interruption all winter.

There's 2 potential systems between March 5-10 before it warms up.

Nice. Definitely reminds me of 2014 here

That's a good point. It's that awkward time of year where us snowcover lovers, barring a 2014 repeat, can kiss sustained snowpack goodbye, but you still have over 1.5 months of potential to get a good snowfall.

To each their own lol. Seeing lots of snow melt for 1 or 2 days of worthless warmth is not my bag.

Looks like some snow chances in early March, with the ensembles honing in at this early stage on the March 5-10 period, then warmth by mid-month. Never one to grade a winter until at least March is over, but what I can say about this winter is very clear: the cold and snowcover exceeded my expectations, and the snowfall & storminess fell short of my expectations. Would imply its floating in the C range at this time, will see what March brings.

First 50F at DTW since Dec 28th. In 2 days it went from a complete deep winter look to just big dirty snowbanks, piles, puddles, and a few drifts/patches today. Was expected, but still sucks.

Went sledding yesterday, this time taking my 7 year old nephew to a bigger hill. Everyone had a blast. Not ready for winter to release its grip yet.

Plenty of winter fun for me this season. From a nice blanket of snow/bitter cold when cutting down the Christmas tree to multiple hikes/sleddings/shovelings/photo ops/etc in Jan & Feb. That's not even taking into account my fun trip up north. In some recent mild winters, some have remarked that the snowfall total has looked "misleading" because it makes the winter look better than it was. I do see their point, but that's why I always say that's why there's stats for temps, liquid, snowfall, and snow depth. However using that logic I must say this is the first winter in I can't remember how long that the snowfall total makes it look worse than it's been. Plenty of cold, snowcover, and outdoor winter things to do for a winter that DTW has only logged 26.0" of snow thru 2/23.

Haha and they love it. They "only" had 80" last winter and expect to crack 300" this winter. They are smack dab in one of the biggest Lake Superior snowbelts and it's their livelihood.

Still have a nice snowpack in SE MI. My season to date snowfall sits at 26.9" with 26.0" at DTW. Have definitely made the most out of the snowfall in terms of days with snow on the ground.