GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Can you believe average/normal snowfall in a single season for GR is about 75ish inches. Thus far, we’ve topped more than 81 inches. Muskegon is also high on the list with more than 98 inches tallied thus far. Last year at this time Grand Rapids had only measured about 24 inches. Muskegon had only seen about 42 inches.
Let me state the obvious here, three more months of winter to go! Most locations just tabulated about 3″-6″ of new snow on Saturday. We’ll see quiet conditions, probably even some sunshine inland Sunday and Monday before another system moves in to the region during the P.M. hours Tuesday with more accumulating snow likely.
The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and their six to 10 day outlook has a bull’s-eye an 80 percent probability of below normal temps still to come. Click here to see it. Their eight to 14 day temperature outlook has a 60 percent bull’s-eye directly over the Great Lakes for below normal temperatures (see it here). That said, not big warm ups in sight. I would hope that (if he knows what’s good for him) that Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow on Sunday, Groundhog’s Day, confirming six more long weeks of winter…and then some! You can click here for the Phil website.
I remember before coming to Grand Rapids when I was in Madison, Wisconsin they had their version of Phil…known as Jimmy the Groundhog. He too, was a predictor of sorts, but I lost respect for him and the group when they checked for a shadow one year in the last 1990s when I was covering the story about a minute or two BEFORE the official sunrise time. Kind of hard to see a shadow with no sun.
When we moved here in 2001, Grand Rapids and much of the lakeshore had between 52 and 54 inches of almost pure lake-effect snow in just one week (between Christmas and New Year’s). Now that was quite the snow!
The attached photo was submitted from Vickie Grant from the Hastings area. It was snapped a little earlier this season during one of our heavier snow events. To be sure more cold and snow are on the way over the next several weeks. Get the complete West Michigan forecast by going to www.fox17online.com/weather.
