January 2024 General Discussion

[michsnowfreak]

26 minutes ago, Stevo6899 said:

Crazy how detroit broke the precip record for january after today. Who would've thought half of it was probably liquid.

 

1 minute ago, Stebo said:

1932 January had .9" so it was almost all rain. Imagine having that happen 

You beat me to it. lol.

1932 was also the warmest January on record. This, combined with constant rain, had dandelions in bloom throughout Jan in MI.

Looking at the top 10 wettest Januarys, wet doesnt always mean snowy.

01.) 5.25” – 2024 (snow 17.0”)
02.) 5.02” – 1932 (snow 0.9”)
03.) 4.96” – 1874 (snow 17.9”)
04.) 4.38” – 1950 (snow 9.5”)
05.) 4.31” – 1916 (snow 1.1”)
06.) 4.27” – 1929 (snow 22.1”)
07.) 4.12” – 2020 (snow 9.7”)
08.) 3.95” – 1913 (snow 8.0”)
09.) 3.92” – 1993 (snow 11.0”)
10.) 3.87” – 1907 (snow 12.7”)
 

This picture was published in the January 16, 1932 Detroit Free Press. A woman posed with grass clippings after mowing her grass.

 

[roardog]

57 minutes ago, michsnowfreak said:

 

You beat me to it. lol.

1932 was also the warmest January on record. This, combined with constant rain, had dandelions in bloom throughout Jan in MI.

Looking at the top 10 wettest Januarys, wet doesnt always mean snowy.

01.) 5.25” – 2024 (snow 17.0”)
02.) 5.02” – 1932 (snow 0.9”)
03.) 4.96” – 1874 (snow 17.9”)
04.) 4.38” – 1950 (snow 9.5”)
05.) 4.31” – 1916 (snow 1.1”)
06.) 4.27” – 1929 (snow 22.1”)
07.) 4.12” – 2020 (snow 9.7”)
08.) 3.95” – 1913 (snow 8.0”)
09.) 3.92” – 1993 (snow 11.0”)
10.) 3.87” – 1907 (snow 12.7”)
 

This picture was published in the January 16, 1932 Detroit Free Press. A woman posed with grass clippings after mowing her grass.

 

How does grass even grow this far north in January? I would think the sun angle alone would prohibit it. 

[Lightning]

Did as much as I could this evening in the winter wonderland.  Walked dog (in the woods and out on the frozen lake),  made snowmen, snowball fight and shoveled & snowblowed the driveway.  

[michsnowfreak]

It has turned into another London night with fog and slowly melting snow here.

[OrdIowPitMsp]

Closing out January with record high temps across Minnesota today. The all time January record of 56 in Minneapolis might be in jeopardy today. 

[Snowstorms]

1 hour ago, OrdIowPitMsp said:

Closing out January with record high temps across Minnesota today. The all time January record of 56 in Minneapolis might be in jeopardy today. 

Damn. Seems like the warmth has been centered around Minnesota and further NW this month. Our warmest high this month was 43. Last time we hit 50 was Dec 15. Nonetheless were going to finish January 7 degrees above average lol. 

[TheClimateChanger]

14 hours ago, roardog said:

How does grass even grow this far north in January? I would think the sun angle alone would prohibit it. 

Nonsense, probably already high grass. This December was 3.4F warmer than January 1932 in Detroit - were you mowing the lawn on Christmas?

[michsnowfreak]

1 hour ago, TheClimateChanger said:

Nonsense, probably already high grass. This December was 3.4F warmer than January 1932 in Detroit - were you mowing the lawn on Christmas?

While that very well may be the case (high grass), there was documentation of dandelions in bloom throughout lower MI in January. This years warm December was following an average November which ended with a cold snap, and was followed by a big cold snap in January. At the time of that picture (mid-Jan 1932), there had been almost no cold to speak of that winter. To this day, Nov 1931 stands as the warmest on record, Dec 1931 the 9th warmest, and Jan 1932 the warmest. There was also a lot of rain the entire time.  

[michsnowfreak]

1 hour ago, Snowstorms said:

Damn. Seems like the warmth has been centered around Minnesota and further NW this month. Our warmest high this month was 43. Last time we hit 50 was Dec 15. Nonetheless were going to finish January 7 degrees above average lol. 

Im wondering if this is similar to 1877-78, where the core of the warmth was centered in MN/the Plains? While it was certainly a mild winter here in 1877-78, it wasnt nearly the magnitude of out there. To date, 1877-78 stands as Detroits 16th warmest winter on record. Other winters of that era of up-and-down winters that rank higher on Detroits warmest list are 1881-82, 1879-80, and 1889-90. The warmth and lack of snow in 1881-82 & 1889-90 is FAR more impressive here than the mild winter of 1877-78 which actually saw slightly above avg snowfall. While December 1877 is Detroits 5th warmest on record, January and February 1878 dont even make the top 20. Meanwhile, there is tons of documentation and stories about how wild Minnesota's Year Without a Winter was in 1877-78, and it appeared even worse in Duluth than Minneapolis. (Duluth was warmer than Detroit in Feb 1878!)

 

And same here. The warmest temp this January at DTW is 44F. Only 29 years of the 151 years on record saw a lower max temp in January.

 

 

[TheClimateChanger]

38 minutes ago, michsnowfreak said:

While that very well may be the case (high grass), there was documentation of dandelions in bloom throughout lower MI in January. This years warm December was following an average November which ended with a cold snap, and was followed by a big cold snap in January. At the time of that picture (mid-Jan 1932), there had been almost no cold to speak of that winter. To this day, Nov 1931 stands as the warmest on record, Dec 1931 the 9th warmest, and Jan 1932 the warmest. There was also a lot of rain the entire time.  

Still a far cry from needing to mow the lawn. I see dandelions after every warm spell in recent winters in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Here’s one from December:

[TheClimateChanger]

31 minutes ago, michsnowfreak said:

Im wondering if this is similar to 1877-78, where the core of the warmth was centered in MN/the Plains? While it was certainly a mild winter here in 1877-78, it wasnt nearly the magnitude of out there. To date, 1877-78 stands as Detroits 16th warmest winter on record. Other winters of that era of up-and-down winters that rank higher on Detroits warmest list are 1881-82, 1879-80, and 1889-90. The warmth and lack of snow in 1881-82 & 1889-90 is FAR more impressive here than the mild winter of 1877-78 which actually saw slightly above avg snowfall. While December 1877 is Detroits 5th warmest on record, January and February 1878 dont even make the top 20. Meanwhile, there is tons of documentation and stories about how wild Minnesota's Year Without a Winter was in 1877-78, and it appeared even worse in Duluth than Minneapolis. (Duluth was warmer than Detroit in Feb 1878!)

 

And same here. The warmest temp this January at DTW is 44F. Only 29 years of the 151 years on record saw a lower max temp in January.

 

 

Detroit has been a snow magnet this winter. Somehow you guys have only had 2" less than Erie (which averages 104.3" annually) on the season-to-date, on the downwind side of Lake Erie.

[SolidIcewx]

1 hour ago, TheClimateChanger said:

Nonsense, probably already high grass. This December was 3.4F warmer than January 1932 in Detroit - were you mowing the lawn on Christmas?

Funny you mention that. Last Friday once everything was pretty much melted. I was on my way to a job site and seen an older gentleman doing yard work. Picking up leaves and branches. Had me flabbergasted he was doing that so late in the season.

[OrdIowPitMsp]

36 minutes ago, michsnowfreak said:

Im wondering if this is similar to 1877-78, where the core of the warmth was centered in MN/the Plains?

I am starting to really believe 1877-78 is going down this year, or at least we get close. It’s a similar setup with AGW and UHI boosting things a bit. The lack of any snowpack up north after this warmup will only hamper the ability to see normal wintertime temps moving forward. The main difference is the lakes have actually held some ice this season, versus 77-78 when there are many reports of lakes never icing over completely. 

[michsnowfreak]

42 minutes ago, TheClimateChanger said:

Still a far cry from needing to mow the lawn. I see dandelions after every warm spell in recent winters in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Here’s one from December:

I'm not saying you're wrong. I just posted what was in the newspaper at the time.

[TheClimateChanger]

1 hour ago, michsnowfreak said:

Im wondering if this is similar to 1877-78, where the core of the warmth was centered in MN/the Plains? While it was certainly a mild winter here in 1877-78, it wasnt nearly the magnitude of out there. To date, 1877-78 stands as Detroits 16th warmest winter on record. Other winters of that era of up-and-down winters that rank higher on Detroits warmest list are 1881-82, 1879-80, and 1889-90. The warmth and lack of snow in 1881-82 & 1889-90 is FAR more impressive here than the mild winter of 1877-78 which actually saw slightly above avg snowfall. While December 1877 is Detroits 5th warmest on record, January and February 1878 dont even make the top 20. Meanwhile, there is tons of documentation and stories about how wild Minnesota's Year Without a Winter was in 1877-78, and it appeared even worse in Duluth than Minneapolis. (Duluth was warmer than Detroit in Feb 1878!)

 

And same here. The warmest temp this January at DTW is 44F. Only 29 years of the 151 years on record saw a lower max temp in January.

 

 

Interesting. At least in January & February 1878, it looks like it was a pretty solid winter for Detroit. Nearly 15" of snow on today's date in 1878, with a two-day total of 15.7 inches.

[TheClimateChanger]

Unfortunately, we'll never know how much fell at Toledo and Cleveland since there were no snowfall observations.

Toledo

Cleveland

[michsnowfreak]

1 hour ago, TheClimateChanger said:

Detroit has been a snow magnet this winter. Somehow you guys have only had 2" less than Erie (which averages 104.3" annually) on the season-to-date, on the downwind side of Lake Erie.

It's been very active. I'm in a chat with some local weather guys, and January snowfall has ranged from 15.3" in Monroe to 24.4" in Lake Orion (elevation helped in a few slop events). Most of the immediate metro has had 15-20".  While there were several powder events during the cold snap, there have also been several snowfalls with very low ratio snow. In the end, I'd estimate about half of the 5.25" has fallen as actual snow.

[michsnowfreak]

6 minutes ago, TheClimateChanger said:

Interesting. At least in January & February 1878, it looks like it was a pretty solid winter for Detroit. Nearly 15" of snow on today's date in 1878.

Yes. I always get frustrated that there's a little bit of missing data in the 1870s, because due to that, DTX does not start official snowfall data until 1880. I understand the need for consistency, but there were several good snow storms in the 1870s and also a few snowy AND snow futility records that I feel should be added to the mix. 

[Brian D]

Very mild day today with temps cast for mid 40's. Running in the low 40's atm as we are coming into peak for the day. A very mellow few days. Looks like the Dec-Jan avg is going to come in at a solid 2nd behind 1877/78 in Duluth. That sure was a warm stretch back then up my way. Too bad there weren't more stns having data from that time here across the N MN, or at least accessible. I'm sure there was some spotty data at some other sites around that time. Listing Marquette, MI at solid 3rd and Minneapolis, MN, edging 1877/78 for 1st. Strong daily avg today will bump it up a little more. An impressive winter so far. And it looks like Feb 1878 was extremely mild as well, so we shall see how it goes for Feb 2024, and what the final tally is for this winter season. 

Duluth, MN

1877-1878 - 26.6 

*2023-2024 - 23.3

1888-1889 - 22.2

1931-1932 - 22.1

1890-1891 - 21.5

Marquette, MI

1877-1878 - 29.9

1931-1932 - 29.5

*2023-2024 - 28.4

2001-2002 - 27.9

2015-2016 - 27.3

Minneapolis, MN

*2023-2024 - 28.0

1877-1878 - 27.8

2001-2002 - 26.1

1913-1914 - 25.9

2011-2012 - 25.5

 

[OrdIowPitMsp]

40 minutes ago, Brian D said:

Minneapolis, MN, edging 1877/78 for 1st. Strong daily avg today will bump it up a little more. An impressive winter so far. And it looks like Feb 1878 was extremely mild as well,

Woohoo 1st place!!

February 1878 is the 6th warmest on record for Minneapolis, so that’s the number to beat. 

[Brian D]

5 hours ago, michsnowfreak said:

While that very well may be the case (high grass), there was documentation of dandelions in bloom throughout lower MI in January. This years warm December was following an average November which ended with a cold snap, and was followed by a big cold snap in January. At the time of that picture (mid-Jan 1932), there had been almost no cold to speak of that winter. To this day, Nov 1931 stands as the warmest on record, Dec 1931 the 9th warmest, and Jan 1932 the warmest. There was also a lot of rain the entire time.  

Just looking at daily records, there were some rather mild days in there.  Can see how foliage could quickly sprout. Happens when you get a false Spring, and buds come out, then get damaged from cold. Before that pic was taken, looks like a 4 day warm spell. Temps overall look pretty decent. Nothing too cold.

12/1/1931	0	0	37	30
12/2/1931	0	0	41	27
12/3/1931	0	0	48	29
12/4/1931	0.54	0	41	33
12/5/1931	T	T	34	26
12/6/1931	T	T	36	32
12/7/1931	T	T	36	20
12/8/1931	0	0	32	19
12/9/1931	0.55	1	39	32
12/10/1931	T	0	42	34
12/11/1931	0.12	0	62	42
12/12/1931	0	0	47	35
12/13/1931	0.05	0	41	36
12/14/1931	0.21	0.3	42	30
12/15/1931	0	0	38	30
12/16/1931	0	0	46	29
12/17/1931	0	0	49	33
12/18/1931	0	0	46	29
12/19/1931	0.02	0	52	35
12/20/1931	0	0	46	35
12/21/1931	0.16	0	49	38
12/22/1931	0.67	0	52	45
12/23/1931	0	0	50	44
12/24/1931	0.01	0	57	37
12/25/1931	0	0	37	23
12/26/1931	0	0	35	22
12/27/1931	0	0	38	29
12/28/1931	0	0	45	36
12/29/1931	0	0	40	32
12/30/1931	0	0	35	30
12/31/1931	0.33	0	34	27
1/1/1932	1.41	0	40	33
1/2/1932	0.03	0	40	34
1/3/1932	T	0	38	34
1/4/1932	0	0	38	28
1/5/1932	0.4	0	44	35
1/6/1932	0.2	0	52	31
1/7/1932	0	0	38	31
1/8/1932	0	0	41	31
1/9/1932	0.01	0.1	32	30
1/10/1932	0.04	0.4	33	26
1/11/1932	0	0	35	29
1/12/1932	0.54	0	53	35
1/13/1932	0.11	0	56	50
1/14/1932	T	0	55	44
1/15/1932	0.61	0	59	36
1/16/1932	0.11	0.2	37	32
1/17/1932	0.3	0	50	37
1/18/1932	T	T	38	31
1/19/1932	0	T	37	26
1/20/1932	0	0	43	36
1/21/1932	0.37	0	47	37
1/22/1932	0	0	48	37
1/23/1932	0.32	0	40	35
1/24/1932	0	0	35	24
1/25/1932	0	0	43	27
1/26/1932	0.49	0.2	39	32
1/27/1932	0.08	0	41	32
1/28/1932	0	0	41	29
1/29/1932	0	0	52	35
1/30/1932	T	T	35	15
1/31/1932	T	T	19	6
Sum:	7.68	2.2
Count:	62	62	62	62
Average:	0.12	0	42.4	31.6
Median:	T	0	41	32
Low Value:	0	0	19	6
High Value:	1.41	1	62	50

[OrdIowPitMsp]

New record high of 55 in Minneapolis smashing the old record of 46. We missed tying the all time January record by 1 degree. 
 

I was working outside in a t-shirt today. 

[cyclone77]

46 here today, 49 at MLI.  Snow is down to scattered areas, piles, drifts.  

[Malacka11]

I can't wait for this weekend

[Geoboy645]

3 hours ago, Brian D said:

Just looking at daily records, there were some rather mild days in there.  Can see how foliage could quickly sprout. Happens when you get a false Spring, and buds come out, then get damaged from cold. Before that pic was taken, looks like a 4 day warm spell. Temps overall look pretty decent. Nothing too cold.

12/1/1931	0	0	37	30
12/2/1931	0	0	41	27
12/3/1931	0	0	48	29
12/4/1931	0.54	0	41	33
12/5/1931	T	T	34	26
12/6/1931	T	T	36	32
12/7/1931	T	T	36	20
12/8/1931	0	0	32	19
12/9/1931	0.55	1	39	32
12/10/1931	T	0	42	34
12/11/1931	0.12	0	62	42
12/12/1931	0	0	47	35
12/13/1931	0.05	0	41	36
12/14/1931	0.21	0.3	42	30
12/15/1931	0	0	38	30
12/16/1931	0	0	46	29
12/17/1931	0	0	49	33
12/18/1931	0	0	46	29
12/19/1931	0.02	0	52	35
12/20/1931	0	0	46	35
12/21/1931	0.16	0	49	38
12/22/1931	0.67	0	52	45
12/23/1931	0	0	50	44
12/24/1931	0.01	0	57	37
12/25/1931	0	0	37	23
12/26/1931	0	0	35	22
12/27/1931	0	0	38	29
12/28/1931	0	0	45	36
12/29/1931	0	0	40	32
12/30/1931	0	0	35	30
12/31/1931	0.33	0	34	27
1/1/1932	1.41	0	40	33
1/2/1932	0.03	0	40	34
1/3/1932	T	0	38	34
1/4/1932	0	0	38	28
1/5/1932	0.4	0	44	35
1/6/1932	0.2	0	52	31
1/7/1932	0	0	38	31
1/8/1932	0	0	41	31
1/9/1932	0.01	0.1	32	30
1/10/1932	0.04	0.4	33	26
1/11/1932	0	0	35	29
1/12/1932	0.54	0	53	35
1/13/1932	0.11	0	56	50
1/14/1932	T	0	55	44
1/15/1932	0.61	0	59	36
1/16/1932	0.11	0.2	37	32
1/17/1932	0.3	0	50	37
1/18/1932	T	T	38	31
1/19/1932	0	T	37	26
1/20/1932	0	0	43	36
1/21/1932	0.37	0	47	37
1/22/1932	0	0	48	37
1/23/1932	0.32	0	40	35
1/24/1932	0	0	35	24
1/25/1932	0	0	43	27
1/26/1932	0.49	0.2	39	32
1/27/1932	0.08	0	41	32
1/28/1932	0	0	41	29
1/29/1932	0	0	52	35
1/30/1932	T	T	35	15
1/31/1932	T	T	19	6
Sum:	7.68	2.2
Count:	62	62	62	62
Average:	0.12	0	42.4	31.6
Median:	T	0	41	32
Low Value:	0	0	19	6
High Value:	1.41	1	62	50

The most significant part there are the lows. They went from December 8th to January 30th without a low lower than 20. That's equivalent to like early April for lows for almost 2 months in winter. No wonder stuff was greening up and growing.

[TheClimateChanger]

International Falls reached 53F, breaking the January monthly record by 4F.

[TheClimateChanger]

Much higher than expected. Forecast this morning was for 43F:

 

[Chambana]

Today had a very March feel to it muddy, cloudy and windy with temps in the 40’s. Kind of don’t want the winter pattern to reload around Valentines Day, towards the end of February my body is craving spring. 

[Brian D]

Record in I-Falls of 53 (45 1999) as mentioned above as well as Hibbing at 50 (46 2009) with records starting in 1938. Most stns have records in the low 50's starting in mid-Jan. Most late Jan records tho in NE MN are still in the mid-upper 40's. In fact, mid Jan - mid Feb is mainly mid-upper 40's with a few 50's in the mix. The I-Falls record of 53 would be the new monthly record (49 1/20/1921), and 2 days earlier than the 55 (1991) on Feb 2nd making it the earliest 50 reading there since 1948 (along with a spattering of earlier records)

[RogueWaves]

On 1/30/2024 at 12:51 PM, AWMT30 said:

Well closing with 5.3" of snow here in Canton, Michigan. VERY VERY VERY PLEASED 

I guess now that I left Canton, it decided to snow there again. Ofc