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westMJim

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  1. The Lions won the first half of yesterday’s final game and lost the second half, ultimately the game. So, hold your heads high gentlemen, you provided us with a lot of excitement and entertainment this year.
  2. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 38/33 there was 0.01” of rainfall. There was no sunshine and the day started out with a reported 1” of snow on the ground at GRR. For today the average H/L is 31/17 the record high of 53 was set in 1914 and 2002 the record low of -9 was set in 2014 the record snowfall of 6.0” fell in 1977 the most snow on the ground was 24” in 1978. Last year the H/L was 31/23 and there was 4” of snowfall. While this long warm spell has not had any near record highs the lows have been in the top ten since January 23rd it has not gone below 32 since January 22nd There are now a lot of bare spots showing up in my yard.
  3. It’s been 45 years since a powerful blizzard dropped up to 2 feet of snow in Southwest Michigan, establishing itself as one of the more memorable weather events in recent history. The Great Blizzard of 1978 not only brought heavy snow totals – but also hurricane force winds. The storm brought traffic – both in the air and on land – to a complete standstill. Snowfall records were set during the infamous Blizzard of 1978 which dumped 18.4” inches on the area. It is a calendar day record for Gerald R. Ford International Airport that still stands. Drifts as high as 5 feet clogged Int. 96 between Grand Rapids and Lowell, stranding more than 60 motorists. Schools stayed closed for days. According to Press archives, by 8:15 a.m. on January 26, Grand Rapids police cruisers were ordered off the roads unless necessary. Ambulances got stuck trying to get patients. At Butterworth Hospital, 140 nurses called to say they couldn’t make it in. The incredible Blizzard of January 26-27th, 1978 evolved out of a winter that was famous for cold and storms. The Winter of 1977-78 thus far had been one the coldest, since records began, in many areas from the Rockies eastward to the Appalachians. Mammoth blizzards occurred late in January and early February from the Midwest to the East Coast as strong Arctic plunges dove south into the country and met up with the warmer winds from the deep south. Record 24 hour snowfall totals from the storm included, 16.1 inches at Grand Rapids, 15.4 inches at Houghton Lake and 12.2 at Dayton, OH. Snowfalls for the entire storm (25-27th) included a whopping 30.0 inches at Muskegon (some of which was Lake Michigan enhanced), 19.3 inches at Lansing and 19.2 at Grand Rapids. Snowfalls were less over Southeast Lower Michigan (mainly because of the rain that fell for a period) and included 9.9 inches at Flint and 8.2 inches at Detroit. I lived in Bay City in 1978 and was working 1st shift The day before we were in Ann Arbor as our youngest child had to go there for medical treatments almost ever month. We left AA around 6:30 PM and back then John McMurry Was a meteorologist for the Detroit radio station WJR he was my got weather guy back at the time (along with weather radio anyone remember that?) anyway John was all hyped up about this storm. The snow was mostly light until we reached Flint where it really pickup in intensity and by the time we reached Saginaw there was heavy snow falling. I went the bed with the intention of going to work the next day. When the alarm went off at 5 AM I could here the wind blowing outside and with I looked out he window the snow and blowing snow was so bad I could not see across the road I said this is not good, I went outside just as a heavy thundersnow storm started with the kind of thunder and lightning we have not seen at anytime in the last 5 or 6 years. The snow in the driveway was up to my hip so I went back in the house to call in to say I was not coming into work well. The line was busy and it stayed busy until past 9 AM Well the good news was work was closed that day and it was closed the next day as well. Even on Monday there were a lot of people still snowed in. Now, for many the 1978 storm is their biggest mine happened on the same dates 11 years before. In 1967 I was still in High School and in many locations this storm was bigger then the 1978 storm but both were very similar. One big difference was that leading up to the 1967 storm it was warm not cold like it was in 1978. Here are some facts on the 1967 storm. On Jan. 26-27, 1967, one of the biggest and baldest blizzards struck Michigan. It went down as one of the all-time worst blizzards in Michigan’s history mainly because of the way the weather conditions changed drastically in a short amount of time. In days leading up to the blizzard, some areas featured temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Snowfall totals Here’s the snowfall totals measured in some of Michigan’s cities after the 1967 storm: Kalamazoo … 30 inches Bay City……….30 inches Battle Creek … 28.6 inches Lansing … 24 inches Saginaw … 23.8 inches Flint … 22.7 inches Grand Rapids … 18 inches Jackson … 16 inches Muskegon … 11 inches The 1967 blizzard caught many Michigan residents off guard. In several locations, the temperatures were in the 50s and 60s, and then a couple of days later on Jan. 26 and 27, the blizzard dumped lots of really heavy snow in a relatively short period. In Lansing, the temperature was 66 degrees on Jan. 24, 1967. Two days later, 24 inches of snow had fell. In Grand Rapids, the warm temperatures produced records at that time of 62 degrees on Jan. 24, 1967 and 57 degrees on Jan. 25, 1967. Then the snow — a foot and half — fell. One spot where the warm air kept the blizzard at bay was in Detroit. The Motor City officials had more than 1 inch of rain and 3.5 inches of snow. In a day when schools seldom closed for snow day we had no school for 7 days. I know there are a lot of people who think of the GHD storm as the big daddy. I can tell you that storm did not even compare to the storms of 1967 and 1978. In the winter of 2014 the total snow on the ground came close to what it was in 1978 but there was not the wind and powerful thunder snow.
  4. The big January thaw continues. Yesterday the official H/L at Grand Rapids was 37/34 there was 0.81” of rainfall. The day started with 4” of snow on the ground. There was no sunshine. For today the average H/L is 31/17 the record high of 62 was set in 1916 the record low of -12 was set in 2003 the record snow fall of 12.2” fell in 1967 the most snow on the ground was 27” in 1978. Last year the H/L was 35/18 there was 1.2” of snowfall and 3” on the ground. At the current time I have a temperature of 35. There are now a some bare spots in the yard.
  5. Some weather history for January 26 in southern Lower Michigan 1967: Temperatures in the 20s are some 40 degrees colder than the day before, and heavy snow begins falling, piling up a foot or more along with increasing winds. 1978: A storm known as the Cleveland Superbomb moves north from the Gulf of Mexico and deepens explosively, becoming one of the worst blizzards in Midwest history. From one to two feet of snow falls across southern Lower Michigan, whipped into huge drifts by strong gusty winds. Several new records were set including a new record low sea level barometric pressure of 28.68, observed at 6:00 AM. At least 9 deaths were attributed to the blizzard, most roads were impassable, roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow, and the airport in Grand Rapids was closed from late on the 25th until the 27th. Governor Milliken declared a state of emergency and requested additional federal aid for snow removal. 2021, a low-pressure system brought widespread snow to the region with 3 to 5 inches observed north of I-69. Much of this occurred during the morning commute with visibilities dropping to around a quarter mile and snow quickly accumulating on the roads. Across the USA 1937: The wettest month ever in Cincinnati, Ohio, is January 1937, when 13.68 inches fell. Their average January amount is 3.00 inches of precipitation. The overabundance of precipitation over the Ohio River basin caused near-record to record flooding in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. On this day, the river gauge reached 80 feet in Cincinnati, the highest level in the city’s history. The Ohio River reached 57 feet in Louisville, Kentucky, on the 27th, setting a new record by ten feet. Seventy percent of the city was underwater at that time. The NWS Office in Louisville, Kentucky,
  6. The January thaw continues. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 38/33 there was 0.14” of rain fall and at 7AM there was 6” of snow on the ground. There once again was no sunshine. For today the average H/L is 31/17 the record high of 62 was set in 1944 and the record low of -9 was set in 1927. The record snow fall was 16.1” set in 1978 that is also the record for a calendar day at GR. The most snow on the ground was 19” in 1979 and 1963. Last year the H/L was 33/27 and there was 1.1” of snow fall
  7. Some weather history for southern lower Michigan for January 24th 1967: A huge storm is gathering over the Plains States. Out ahead of it, strong southerly breezes bring record warmth to Lower Michigan. Lansing soars to 66 degrees, the warmest on record for the month of January. 1963, Detroit had a high temperature of 4 degrees and a low temperature of -13 degrees, which equates to a very cold day! Across the USA 1940: A record-breaking 19.9 inches of snow fell in Richmond, Virginia, on this day. The storm, which began on the 23rd, produced 21.6 inches of snow in the Richmond area. The headline in the Richmond Times-Dispatch was “Blizzard Sweeps State, Bringing Deep Snow; Public Schools Closed. 1967: A tornado outbreak across the Central U.S. was the furthest north ever recorded in the winter up to that time. Severe weather occurred across a good portion of the southeast and east-central Iowa. Two-inch hail fell at Armstrong, and over two dozen tornadoes were reported. Five miles north of Fort Madison, one fatality occurred from a tornado, along with six injuries. A tornado causing F4 damage killed 3 people and injured 216 in St. Louis County, Missouri. Storms also affected parts of northern and central Illinois. One strong tornado in Mason County killed one person and injured three others. Another tornado moved across the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area, injuring five people. Other strong tornadoes were reported across Carroll County in Mt. Carroll, where 12 people were injured, and near Gladstone in Henderson County. Funnel clouds were reported across the southwest section of Chicago, IL. Iowa had never recorded a tornado in January before this outbreak. 32 total tornadoes occurred, 14 of them in Iowa. Nine twisters occurred in Missouri, 8 in Illinois, and 1 in Wisconsin.
  8. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 34/32 there was 0.41” of cold rain. The day started with 9” of snow on the ground. There was no sunshine. For today the average H/L is 30/18 the record high of 62 was set in 1967 and the record low of -19 was set in 1948. The record snowfall of 6.5” fell in 1930. The most snow on the ground was 19” in 1979. Last year the H/L was 33/29 and there was .2” of snowfall.
  9. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 32/14 there was 0.3” of snowfall and 10” on the ground. There was no sunshine. For today the average H/L is 30/18 the record high of 56 was set in 1909 the record low of -19 was set in 1948 the record snowfall of 8.0” fell in 1894. The most snow on the ground was 20” in 1963.
  10. The official H/L yesterday was 22/14 there was a trace of snowfall and 11” of snow on the ground. The sun was out 66% of the possible time. For today the average H/L is 30/18 the record high of 56 was set in 1933 and the record low of -6 was set in 1970. The most snowfall of 12.3” fell in 1963 the most on the ground was 20” in 1979 and 1963. Last year the H/L was 34/29 and there was 0.5” of snowfall.
  11. Some weather history for today in southern Lower Michigan 1984: The temperature hits a record low of 15 below zero at Grand Rapids for the second consecutive day. The temperature at Lansing only manages to reach zero degrees during the day. 1984, the overnight temperature dropped to -21 degrees in Detroit! This is the second-lowest overnight temperature ever recorded for the city of Detroit. Across the USA 1963: Up to 3″ of snow falls on San Francisco, their heaviest since 1887. 1985: Jacksonville, Florida, recorded its all-time record low of 7 degrees. Macon, Georgia, had its coldest day ever with a temperature of 6 degrees. It was the coldest Inauguration day in history as President Reagan is sworn in for a second term during cold and winds that resulted in wind chill readings of 30 degrees below zero. Because of the bitter cold temperatures, many outdoor Inauguration events were canceled, and President Reagan was sworn in the Capitol Rotunda. 1999: A major tornado outbreak occurred from the southwest into central and northeast Arkansas during the afternoon and evening. In the Little Rock Area, 30 tornadoes tracked across 15 counties. Homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in Little Rock, Beebe, McRae, and areas farther north and east. Eight deaths resulted from the tornadoes, with 140 to 150 injuries also reported
  12. GO LIONS!!!! The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 24/2 there was 0.2” of snowfall. There now has been 15 days in a row of at least a trace of snowfall at GRR. There is 11” on the ground at GRR and 13” here in my yard. There was 34% of possible sunshine. For today the average H/L is 30/18 the record high of 61 was set in 1906 and 2017. The record low of -15 was set in 1984. The most snowfall of 6.1” fell in 1963 the most snow on the ground was 22” in 1963. Last year the H/L was 32/30.
  13. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 21/9 there was 0.8” of snowfall and a reported 12” on the ground here in MBY I have 14” on the ground. There was 54% of possible sunshine for one of the sunniest days this year so far. For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 64 was set in 1906 and the record low of -15 was set in 1984. The most snowfall was 6.8” in 1963 the most on the ground was 21” in 1979. Last year the H/L was 36/31 and there was a trace of snow on the ground. Here are some snowfall totals as of January 19th at Grand Rapids for January 30.8” and for the season 42.1” with 12” on the ground (14” here in my yard. At Muskegon for January 23.7” for the season 41.1” and 11” on the ground. At Lansing 16.8” for January, 21.6” for the season and 6” on the ground.
  14. Nor sure what the record for days in a row of snow snow fall at Grand Rapids as I stated GR is now at 14 days in a row of at least some snow falling. But that 14 days is not a record in December 1998 into January of 1999 there was some snow fall at Grand Rapids for 20 days in a row from December 26th 1998 to January 16, 1999.
  15. Not sure if it is a record or not. Starting on January 6th here are the snowfall amounts at Grand Rapids. T, 0.3", T, 4.1", 1.5", 0.9", 7.0", 3.9", 7.6", 0.3", 1.2", 1.8", 1.2:, and at this time light snow is falling.
  16. @Tom The last event is for your area Some weather history for southern Lower Michigan 1907: Southerly winds bring moist and mild weather with highs in the 50s followed by heavy rains as a cold front moves through. Grand Rapids sets a record high for the date of 56 degrees along with a record rainfall total of 1.84 inches. 1979: A homeowner was killed when his garage roof collapsed due to the weight of the snow on it. Several other homeowners suffered injuries as roofs collapsed throughout southwest Michigan. There were more than 50 reported roof collapses by the end of February, with most of the collapses occurring in the second half of January. At one point the snowpack was measured as weighing more than 25 pounds per square foot. 1994: Temperatures remain below zero all day long. Extreme cold prevails from the 14th to the 21st but this is the coldest day. Grand Rapids ties the all-time record low for the month of January with 22 below zero, followed by a high of only 2 below zero. An unofficial low of 53 below zero is recorded in the Upper Peninsula at Amasa, Michigan. Water and sewer pipes freeze, causing 50 million dollars in damage across Michigan. 2019, a long-duration snowfall was ongoing across Southeast Michigan with a few bands of heavy snow forming over Metro Detroit and locations to the south. These areas saw the highest totals from this 18-hour snowfall, coming in around 5 to 8 inches. Across the USA 1961: Eight inches of snow fell and caused crippling traffic jams around the Washington D.C. area on the eve of John Kennedy’s inauguration. The president-elect had to cancel dinner plans and, in a struggle to keep other commitments, reportedly had only 4 hours of sleep. Former President Herbert Hoover was unable to fly into Washington National Airport due to the weather, and he had to miss the swearing-in ceremony. 1993: An unusual series of Pacific storm systems tracked across Arizona from January 6th through the 19th, producing heavy and prolonged precipitation across the state. These heavy rains caused the most widespread and severe flooding in Arizona since the turn of the century. The protracted rainfall over the 2 weeks caused multiple flood peaks on most streams and rivers. A large garbage landfill and portions of the new Mill Avenue Bridge under construction were washed away by the raging Salt River. The Gillespie Dam west of Phoenix was damaged as high water spread throughout low-lying areas. One man drowned while trying to cross the Agua Fria River.
  17. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 23/17 there was 1.2” of snowfall there has now been 14 days in a row of some snowfall. In that time there has been 29.8” of snowfall. There is now 13” on the ground at the airport and 16” here in MBY. The sun was out 4% of the possible time yesterday. For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 56 was set in 1907 and the record low of -22 was set in 1994. The wettest January 19th was 1.85” (all rain) set in 1907. The most snowfall of 6.4” fell in 2003 and the most on the ground was 21” in 1979. Last year the H/L was 42/34. At the current time it is 15 here in MBY with light snow falling.
  18. Hate to say it but we are over due for a ice event. But I agree there more than likely be one or more big storms maybe even in March.
  19. Got my wife's car all cleaned off now. And did the part of the driveway were it was parked. The car had 18" of snow the bottom 2" or more was that wet snow that fell before the lake effect snow fell. It was a lot of hard work getting it all off the car. But it is all clean now. Also did the driveway where it was parked with the snowblower.
  20. Boy it is really hard work clearing off 18" of snow on a car. My wife's car is parked outside off to the side of the garage. I am now in the process of cleaning off the car. Boy talk about a lot of hard work. I am using the broom for the garage. The top lake effect snow is easy to get off but the old wet snow is not so much. It is up to 23 here in my yard now but but when one is out there for a while it is still cold.
  21. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 11/2 there was 1.2” of snowfall. At the airport they reported 12” on the ground. The highest wind speed was 33 MPH out of the W. There was a reported 18% of sunshine. Here in MBY I had 2.2” of new snowfall and I have 15” on the ground. For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 56 was set in 1952 and the record low of -10 was set in 1976. The record snowfall of 4.7” was in 2009. Last year the H/l was 46/37. The last few days have been colder at the airport then here in my yard. I had a low of 6 here overnight and at this time there is some clearing and a temperature of 10.
  22. Some weather history for southern Lower Michigan for January 15 1949: Temperatures reach record highs in the mid to upper 50s for the second consecutive day across southwest Lower Michigan. 1972: The arctic air holds on for one more morning of record lows as Grand Rapids falls to 16 below zero and Muskegon tumbles to 11 below. 2009, the region was in the middle of a five-day arctic outbreak. Detroit set a record reaching -15 degrees. Flint was as low as -10, while Saginaw was -6. Across the USA 1990, Heavy snow fell across Prince Williams Sound and the Susitna Valley of southern Alaska. Valdez was buried under 64.9 inches of snow in less than two days, including a record of 47.5 inches in 24 hours. The heavy snow blocked roads, closed schools, and sunk six vessels in the Valdez harbor under the heavy snow’s weight. 2008, An area of low pressure brought snow, sleet, and freezing rain across northern Georgia. Three to four inches was a typical amount reported from many of the northeast Georgia counties
  23. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 10/-5 The high of 10 was the coldest since January 2019 when highs of +2 and +4 were recorded on January 30th and 31st The low of -5 was the 1st time below 0 since -2 in 2022 and the coldest low since -12 on February 17 2021. For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 58 was set in 1958 and the record low of -16 was set in 1972 and 1996. The most snowfall of 5.5” fell in 1924 and the most snow on the ground was 23” in 1979. Last year the H/L was 41/33 and there was 0.29” of rain fall.
  24. Some weather history for southern Lower Michigan for January 15th 1972: Muskegon falls to 12 below zero to set a record low. The temperature only rises to 4 below zero on this day, the coldest high temperature on record for the month of January at Muskegon. It is also the coldest high temperature for January at Grand Rapids, where the maximum is three below zero. 1984: Lansing plunges to 25 below zero and Grand Rapids falls to 14 below during a stretch of arctic cold. Temperatures are below zero for eight straight days at Lansing between the 14th and the 21st. 2007, an ice storm hit the greater Flint and Metro Detroit areas. Over 150,000 customers were without power due to the ice accumulations. The storm caused an estimated $2 million in damages. The same storm also left the Tri-Cities and Thumb regions with 4 to 6 inches of snow. Note the tri cities in Michigan are Bay City, Midland and Saginaw.
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