A Look Back: The Winter Of 1981-82

[Chicago WX]

I'm short on time for discussion, but I present to you the winter of 1981-82. An overall snowy and cold winter for most, it was also defined by its arctic outbreaks...one in the middle of January (stats and map will be posted in this thread) and one in early February.

The monthly and winter temperature departure maps.

Next post, the statistics.

[Chicago WX]

Usual caveat that some of the numbers I got from the Utah climate center may not completely jive with the official numbers for every site. Again, for Cleveland, I used the WFO numbers.

T> is days with a trace or more of snowfall and 1"> is days with an inch or more snowfall

32> is days with a high temperature of 32º or lower and 0> is days with a low temperature of 0º or lower.

[Chicago WX]

500H maps for each individual month.

December 1981

January 1982

February 1982

[Chicago WX]

The first arctic outbreak of the season, with its progression through the region. Though I guess it was technically two outbreaks in that period, because there was a slight pause/relaxation...but we'll lump into one just for the heck of it.

500H map for January 6-18, 1982

[beavis1729]

Thanks again Tim...I love these posts.

I believe 1981-82 is considered the benchmark winter for Minneapolis. 95.0" of snow for the season (including 46.4" in January), and numerous cold outbreaks throughout DJFM. Two incredible things happened in Minneapolis that winter, which I can honestly say will never happen again in the next 100+ years:

(1) 130 consecutive days of 1" or more snowcover...from 11/19/1981 through 3/28/1982

(2) Two 17" snowstorms in a 3-day period (17.1" on 1/20/1982, then another 17.2" on 1/22/1982). This was the highlight of a 14-day period which featured 43.1" of snow (1/12/1982 - 1/25/1982), including a peak snow depth of 38" on 1/23/1982.

The arctic outbreaks that winter in the Midwest were incredible...not just bitterly cold, but windy too. On the old wind chill scale, I believe parts of MN had wind chills near -100F at times. This probably equates to around -70F on the new scale.

EDIT: per the website below, "On January 9th and 10th, 1982 temperatures of -30 and winds of around 40mph were reported in Northern Minnesota. This would translate to -71 by the new formula (-100F by the old formula.)"

http://climate.umn.e...al/extremes.htm

[Trent]

That La Crosse snowfall total can't be right? If so, ouch, how awful to be the odd locale out that winter.

[Chicago WX]

That La Crosse snowfall total can't be right? If so, ouch, how awful to be the odd locale out that winter.

I just double checked, and the actual total was 33.7" for La Crosse. The Utah site data was too high.

[Chicago WX]

Thanks again Tim...I love these posts.

I believe 1981-82 is considered the benchmark winter for Minneapolis. 95.0" of snow for the season (including 46.4" in January), and numerous cold outbreaks throughout DJFM. Two incredible things happened in Minneapolis that winter, which I can honestly say will never happen again in the next 100+ years:

(1) 130 consecutive days of 1" or more snowcover...from 11/19/1981 through 3/28/1982

(2) Two 17" snowstorms in a 3-day period (17.1" on 1/20/1982, then another 17.2" on 1/22/1982). This was the highlight of a 14-day period which featured 43.1" of snow (1/12/1982 - 1/25/1982), including a peak snow depth of 38" on 1/23/1982.

The arctic outbreaks that winter in the Midwest were incredible...not just bitterly cold, but windy too. On the old wind chill scale, I believe parts of MN had wind chills near -100F at times. This probably equates to around -70F on the new scale.

EDIT: per the website below, "On January 9th and 10th, 1982 temperatures of -30 and winds of around 40mph were reported in Northern Minnesota. This would translate to -71 by the new formula (-100F by the old formula.)"

http://climate.umn.e...al/extremes.htm

Thanks for the kind words.

[TugHillMatt]

Wow, there must have been quite the band of lake effect snowfall right along the lakeshore that winter. I just checked what Muskegon got that winter and the total was 173.9 inches....about 100 inches more than Grand Rapids, which is only 30 miles to the east!

[TugHillMatt]

Upon further investigation, we got about 100 of those inches in just one month...January!

[Chicago WX]

Upon further investigation, we got about 100 of those inches in just one month...January!

Wow, you're right. 102.4" to be exact. Very impressive.

[dmc76]

Nice work

[TugHillMatt]

Wow, you're right. 102.4" to be exact. Very impressive.

That's our average annual snowfall in just one month. I'd love to see that some winter soon....

Oh, and just some perspective....THIS WINTER we haven't even officially had 1/100th of our average snowfall.....definite snow drought for this area so far...

[Hoosier]

Nice work man...keep em coming.

[Hoosier]

How did LAF do during the January 30-31st snowstorm in 82?

14"

[Thundersnow12]

Stats man

[Harry]

I would love to see a repeat of this winter. Had a VERY slow start with snowfall here ( only had about 3" at this point ) but once it got going a few days before Christmas it kept rolling all the way into April! Ended with 85.3" on the season here.

This was a true spread the wealth winter i do believe.

[weatherpsycho]

I loved that winter. One of my favorite of all time.

[Ottawa Blizzard]

Great write up! Looking forward to 1993-1994!

[michsnowfreak]

Have to love everything about that winter in Detroit, though it did get off to a slow start snowfall-wise.

Standings....

*74.0" - 3rd snowiest winter (behind 1880-81 and 1925-26, just ahead of 2007-08)

*89 days of 1"+ snowcover- 2nd whitest winter (tie w/ 1947-48) behind just 1977-78

*15th coldest winter on record (DJF temp of 21.9F)

Top 5 snowstorms

11.8" - Jan 30/31

7.6" - Dec 21/22

7.6" - Apr 5/6

6.1" - Mar 3

6.0" - Feb 4

Peak snow depth: 18" Feb 5-7th (only winters with higher peak depths: 1885-86, 1892-93, 1899-00, 1974-75, 1998-99).

A little FYI..you want to know how much of that 74.0" had fallen by December 15th? 0.8".

Some pics I found a while back taken at my grandpas, late Jan or early Feb 1982

[RogueWaves]

Wow, there must have been quite the band of lake effect snowfall right along the lakeshore that winter. I just checked what Muskegon got that winter and the total was 173.9 inches....about 100 inches more than Grand Rapids, which is only 30 miles to the east!

I'm suspect of that GR total too. I lived over in Genesee cnty and even way across the state we were getting constant light LES because the winds were so strong from the west. I would think GR would've been buried. Something seems off there. The later synoptic storms (from 30-Jan to April) did favor SEMI I think, but GR should still have a total considerably above DTW. Those numbers are hard to reconcile.

[Chicago WX]

I'm suspect of that GR total too. I lived over in Genesee cnty and even way across the state we were getting constant light LES because the winds were so strong from the west. I would think GR would've been buried. Something seems off there. The later synoptic storms (from 30-Jan to April) did favor SEMI I think, but GR should still have a total considerably above DTW. Those numbers are hard to reconcile.

I got the numbers for Grand Rapids from GRR's site. Don't know.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grr/climate/data/grr/snowfall/

[Guru Of Reason]

That was an awesome season for St. Louis, although it was about half a year before I was even born. That season contained the legendary "blizzard" of 1982 for our city, which is the storm against which every major snowstorm after it was compared. The official LSX page is here. And here is a graphic of the snowfall across the area.

[TugHillMatt]

I'm suspect of that GR total too. I lived over in Genesee cnty and even way across the state we were getting constant light LES because the winds were so strong from the west. I would think GR would've been buried. Something seems off there. The later synoptic storms (from 30-Jan to April) did favor SEMI I think, but GR should still have a total considerably above DTW. Those numbers are hard to reconcile.

Hmmm...maybe there were alot of Southwesterly and North northwesterly winds that winter....? That's when Muskegon does extremely well in the snow department...and Grand Rapids misses out. Then perhaps there were those times when the Westerly winds were so strong they just blew the snow over Western MIchigan completely and Grand Rapids got missed. If the Westerly winds are too strong here, they'll blow the snow right over the lakeshore to Grand Rapids, so if they were pretty strong to blow the snow the whole way to eastern MIchigan, I'm assuming the snow bands jumped over the whole area.

[IWXwx]

How did LAF do during the January 30-31st snowstorm in 82?

14"

I buried my Jeep on a country road in a drift that was up to my hood. It was stuck there for 3 days. Good times. Thanks for the memories Tim.

[Hoosier]

I buried my Jeep on a country road in a drift that was up to my hood. It was stuck there for 3 days. Good times. Thanks for the memories Tim.

At first I didn't remember that event being the crazy STL thundersnow event.  Went through the wunderground archives.  Here's an ob from LAF

METAR KLAF 312100Z 36020G28KT 1/8SM +SN -BLSN OVC001 M07/M10 A2962 RMK 0409 SLP039 4/009 T10661099 57010

[Chicago WX]

Decatur IL ob with late January 1982 storm.

SPECI KDEC 310920Z 05023G30KT 1/4SM +TSSN FG-BLSN OVC003 A2995 RMK TB20SE MOVG NE OCNL LTGCG S SLPNO

[wxhstn74]

Yes the Winter of 1981-82 will well be remembered in SE Michigan as layers upon layers of snow on the ground. We totaled up 74" at DTW Metro Arpt but many areas just north of that into Detroit I suspect saw 80-100"+ I lived west of Detroit in Canton and the landscape contained layers of snow (almost like yu'd see in the polar regions..kidding but you get my drift-pun intended). I remember shoveling snow for my mom constantly and when I shoved the shovel down perpendicular into the unshoveled snow...and took a hunk out...it actually showed layers of slightly different shades depending on age, moisture content and dirt/melting.

I have a pics here of me and my co-employee Lena Bailey at DTW out on the air field. We had nice smooth but suble drifts 2-3ft high from numerous snows. It was a winter to remember and was the last great winter for snow that century and a fitting "tail" on the 1970s!

[michsnowfreak]

Yes the Winter of 1981-82 will well be remembered in SE Michigan as layers upon layers of snow on the ground. We totaled up 74" at DTW Metro Arpt but many areas just north of that into Detroit I suspect saw 80-100"+ I lived west of Detroit in Canton and the landscape contained layers of snow (almost like yu'd see in the polar regions..kidding but you get my drift-pun intended). I remember shoveling snow for my mom constantly and when I shoved the shovel down perpendicular into the unshoveled snow...and took a hunk out...it actually showed layers of slightly different shades depending on age, moisture content and dirt/melting.

I have a pics here of me and my co-employee Lena Bailey at DTW out on the air field. We had nice smooth but suble drifts 2-3ft high from numerous snows. It was a winter to remember and was the last great winter for snow that century and a fitting "tail" on the 1970s!

Wish you had a scanner so you could post the pics We would not see another winter like that in Detroit until the 2000s. I mean, we had the epic 2 weeks of Jan 1999, but I mean an entire winter. 1981-82 may still have taken the cake because of the cold, of course its hard for me not experiencing those years. Would you say as a whole the 1970s or 2000s winters were more harsh? 2000s seemed a touch snowier but 1970s colder.

[Harry]

Wish you had a scanner so you could post the pics We would not see another winter like that in Detroit until the 2000s. I mean, we had the epic 2 weeks of Jan 1999, but I mean an entire winter. 1981-82 may still have taken the cake because of the cold, of course its hard for me not experiencing those years. Would you say as a whole the 1970s or 2000s winters were more harsh? 2000s seemed a touch snowier but 1970s colder.

If going by just total snowfall alone then yeah the 2000s gets it BUT if adding in cold/snow cover and strength of storms then yeah the 70s win big time. A number of those winters had decent snow cover out this way ( solid ) from Dec well into March and a few times peaked at over 2 feet. Ofcourse 77/78 gets that award with a peak of almost 3 feet thanks in part to the blizzard. And yes 81-82 was great for snow cover as well and nearly hit the 2 foot mark in early Feb and again in early March. The problem with the 2000s is the freaking torches every winter at some point and a lack of a big ( 18+ ) bomb. Granted 08-09 came close with the deep snow cover that was had in Dec and then erased on New Years only to be back and better by the 3 rd week of Jan BUT ala it was all gone by mid Feb and well March sucked. That is me though.