Fall/Winter '24 Banter and Complaints Go Here

[WestMichigan]

Solid C here.  Colder temps allowed the below normal snowfall to stick around.  If it wasn't for the lake this would have definitely been an F.

[michsnowfreak]

2 hours ago, Brian D said:

I'm going with a C-/D+ for my area. Lack of snow, but more colder wx, especially the 2nd half. Warmer wx mixed in helped keep the heat bill at reasonable levels. 

I've looked ahead to next winter, and we just might have a pretty decent one with snow/bitter cold showing up quite a bit. We are due for a pretty intense winter season, and this one could be just that for 25/26. But lets enjoy our warmer months first.  

Definitely due for a good region-wide winter now as its been a few years (Id say 2021 probably). 

[michsnowfreak]

The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) was developed to objectively quantify and describe the relative severity of the winter season based on snowfall, length of snowcover, and temps. Goes to 1950.

https://mrcc.purdue.edu/research/AWSSI/chart

https://mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
 

It ranks winters as mild, moderate, average, severe & extreme.

This winters index # is 483 at Detroit, which is right on the border of “average” and “moderate” but just squeezing into the high end moderate range, thanks to March (it was solidly average til mid-March). The highest index, by far, was 1277 in 2013-14 & the lowest 242 in 2011-12. In the 75 years of rankings, 27 ranked as less severe than this winter and 47 more severe.
 

[OrdIowPitMsp]

I’ll throw a C- grade at this winter.
 

Lacked snowfall, but with sustained seasonal cold the ground was white and the lakes were frozen all winter. Had a couple decent storms. 5.5” on 12/19 and 9.5” on 3/5. 
 

I think we are still paying for the epic 22/23 winter. 

[michsnowfreak]

8 hours ago, OrdIowPitMsp said:

I’ll throw a C- grade at this winter.
 

Lacked snowfall, but with sustained seasonal cold the ground was white and the lakes were frozen all winter. Had a couple decent storms. 5.5” on 12/19 and 9.5” on 3/5. 
 

I think we are still paying for the epic 22/23 winter. 

Funny, our grades match (C-) and our snowfall also matches (29.5" here, 29.4" MSP). It actually shows as MSP's 18th least amount of 1"+ snowcover days for a winter season, but as you said, lakes frozen all winter. Snowfall notwithstanding, cold and frozen lakes make winters like 2023-24 & 2024-25 be a huge contrast to each other. 

While "paying the price" is a subjective and unscientific thought process, it's something I firmly believe in. Why? Because it has happened since the beginning of the climate record, and it will continue to happen. It's how averages come to be. I was saying every year from 2007-15 or so that we will be paying for this, there is no way we can keep up a snowfall pace that has defied our climate record...and we did pay. Not in a MLI-like snowless winter, but rather in multiple subpar mild winters. In fact, we went thru a lot of these mild winters getting quite a bit more snow than we should have, so along comes a Nina 2024-25 winter with its unexpected sustained cold....and an unexpected zzzz stormtrack. But paying the price goes BOTH ways, and this subforum is due for a widespread good snow season.

No two winters are alike. But barring a record drought and forecasts of a super nino, snowlovers in this region should enter Fall 2025 with some optimism!

[Brian D]

21 hours ago, michsnowfreak said:

The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) was developed to objectively quantify and describe the relative severity of the winter season based on snowfall, length of snowcover, and temps. Goes to 1950.

https://mrcc.purdue.edu/research/AWSSI/chart

https://mrcc.purdue.edu/research/awssi
 

It ranks winters as mild, moderate, average, severe & extreme.

This winters index # is 483 at Detroit, which is right on the border of “average” and “moderate” but just squeezing into the high end moderate range, thanks to March (it was solidly average til mid-March). The highest index, by far, was 1277 in 2013-14 & the lowest 242 in 2011-12. In the 75 years of rankings, 27 ranked as less severe than this winter and 47 more severe.
 

MRCC is down due to lack of funding. Hope it comes back soon.

[OrdIowPitMsp]

4 hours ago, michsnowfreak said:

MSP's 18th least amount of 1"+ snowcover days for a winter season,

There were many weeks this winter where my yard was white but the airport was reporting “T” for snow depth. Not enough snow to do anything with, but it still looked and felt like winter. 
 

My airline pilot father used to say that Mother Nature will always have a reversion to the mean. 
 

 

[michsnowfreak]

21 minutes ago, OrdIowPitMsp said:

There were many weeks this winter where my yard was white but the airport was reporting “T” for snow depth. Not enough snow to do anything with, but it still looked and felt like winter. 
 

My airline pilot father used to say that Mother Nature will always have a reversion to the mean. 
 

 

Yeah we had lots of T depth days too. Jan-Feb basically had no totally "bare" ground. T-1" is better than 0 imo. As you said, looks like winter.

And very wise words from your father!

[vpbob21]

I'll give this winter a C for my area.  Not a great winter for snow (around 20") but a lot better than the pathetic 8" total from last winter.  One good thing was that what snow came down stayed on the ground for a while, unlike the past few.

If I were grading based on the winters I grew up with in the 70's, this winter would probably get an F.  I've had to adjust my grading scale over the years, otherwise just about every winter would get an F.

[nvck]

Honestly, this winter was probably a B or B+ for me, we had a few nice events up here, but I don't have much of a baseline to compare it to. The real saving grace was being back in cincinnati over winter break, and catching that 11" storm in January, that was pretty incredible, and then a smaller 4" storm with great rates later that week, before heading back to school.

[A-L-E-K]

 

 

[Brian D]

2 hours ago, A-L-E-K said:

 

 

Says there was flooding below with 1-2 meters of snow in the mountains in 2 days (Alps I believe). They can have it. A little snow in April is fine, but that's overboard.