December Observations and Discussions

[OKwx2k4]

I just want to see some real flakes and to see the places I cleared yesterday get coated again.

 

But the HRRR looking pretty sparse apart from LES spots.

 

totp_t7sfc_f24.png

I definitely gotta give props to a guy who either loves snow or loves his job this much. Lol

[bainbridgekid]

Nice band has set up over NE Illinois.

 

Just started coming down here in Evanston about half an hour ago and everything is caked. Looks gorgeous out. 

[westMJim]

Here at my house I received just over 0.2” of new snow last night (for here that is not much but lake effect has been hard to come by this winter so far) Still getting very light snow falling here with a temp of 32° GRR is not too excited about the lake effect amounts for the rest of this week. BTW I had to hand shovel that 1.5” of sleet that fell and boy that was the heaviest one or two inches of any thing I had to ever shovel.  I would have rather shoveled 12” of snow!  One last item it now very much looks like Grand Rapids will end this month as the warmest December on record here.  As of yesterday GRR mean temp is at 39.7° and that is +10.3° the current record warmest December at this time is  36.6° set in 1923.  Also of note is that the coldest it has gotten here in GRR this December so far is 21° and the current warmest minimum for any December is 18° set in 1923.  So this has been one warm December.

[westMJim]

Now as to snow fall.  So far this December even after the sleet storm GRR has only received   2.2” of snow and the total for the season so far is only 5.7”  in the seasonal snow fall contest I had GRR at 57” that now looks like I may have been too high on that. (as for December the GRR NWS is thinking GRR might receive around 4” of snow between now and Friday night)

[Tom]

Nice band has set up over NE Illinois.

 

Just started coming down here in Evanston about half an hour ago and everything is caked. Looks gorgeous out. 

Nice burst of snow this morning!  Medium sized flakes, no wind...looks like a snow globe.  Probably squeeze out an 1" near Lake/Cook/DuPage/Will counties.  Should be enough to cover up the solid sheet of ice that has frozen over.  Looks like the I-55 corridor is getting the heaviest returns ATM.

[East Dubzz]

Maybe an accumulation of a half inch, but it was nice to see some snow again this morning. Still snowing a little, but looks like it'll be over soon.

[Geos]

Glad you guys closer to Chicago and in eastern MI were able to score more than an inch today. Only 0.2" here this morning. Was a real fine snow that fell.

 

So close to the month average of 9". 8.8" so far.

 

Here's a story of a couple trapped in their vehicle, which was covered over by a 12' snowdrift for about 20 hours outside of Clovis, NM! 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/new-mexico-works-to-unbury-after-record-snow-storm/ar-BBo1ToX?ocid=ansmsnnews11

[bainbridgekid]

Got a solid inch here in Evanston this morning. Actually had some moderate to almost heavy snow for about 30 minutes in the middle of the band.

[jaster220]

Got a solid inch here in Evanston this morning. Actually had some moderate to almost heavy snow for about 30 minutes in the middle of the band.

 

Same here across the lake in St. Joseph but it was brief - hard to tell the amount that fell from 2nd floor windows. Monday's sleet looked like barely an inch and was more on the order of 3

[Geos]

Check this out - a storm that is heading for Iceland is going to rise temps 50° above normal and possible get it above freezing near the North Pole.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/the-storm-that-will-unfreeze-the-north-pole/ar-BBo2Bxy?ocid=ansmsnweather11

 

 

[westMJim]

Looks like just about one inch of new snow here at my house and now there is around 3” of ice/sleet and snow on the ground here. Now looking ahead into the end of this year and start on the new year.  While it looks colder then it has been it still does not look all the cold. 

[westMJim]

Talking about New Years it will be a white New Years in West Michigan and at this time it looks like we should pick up around 2 to 3 inches in the next couple of days but not much. Here is the ADF from the NWS GRR for the short range

 

SHORT TERM  
(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 327 PM EST WED DEC 30 2015  
  
THE ISSUE FOR THE INTO FRIDAY IS THE COLD AIR CONTINUING TO  
GENERATE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS. DUE TO THE SHALLOW INVERSION  
HEIGHTS AND THE DGZ NOT BEING IN THE LAKE EFFECT CLOUD LAYER SNOW  
ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOSTLY LESS THAN AN INCH IN ANY  
12 HOUR PERIOD. AS THE POCKET OF COLDER AIR MOVES IN FRIDAY  
MORNING THE DGZ IS IN THE CLOUD LAYER SO WE MAY SEE A BRIEF  
INCREASE IN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THEN. ALSO... WINDS ARE MOSTLY FROM  
THE WEST AND TYPICALLY WITH THIS SORT OF SET UP... WE SEE A  
I-94/I-96 SNOW BAND THAT GOES ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE DETRIOT AREA  
SO FOR MOST OF THIS EVENT... THAT AREA WILL SEE THE GREATEST  
SNOWFALL.  
  
THIS AREA OF COLD AIR MOVES OUT FRIDAY EVENING...THAT LOWERS  
INVSERION HEIGHTS TO NEAR 2500 FT...WAY TO LOW FOR LAKE EFFECT  
SNOW SHOWER. THUS THE SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD COME TO AN END BY FRIDAY  
EVENING.   
  

And then

   
LONG TERM  
(SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)  
ISSUED AT 327 PM EST WED DEC 30 2015  
  
THE EXTENDED PERIOD LOOKS RATHER QUIET...BUT TEMPS WILL BE ON  
SOMEWHAT OF A ROLLER COASTER.  
  
NORTHWEST UPPER FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND.  THEN A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT SHOULD DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE  
CWA SUNDAY NIGHT.  THIS MAY BRING SOME SPOTTY SNOW SHOWERS OR A  
LITTLE FREEZING DRIZZLE...BUT IT LARGELY LOOKS DRY DUE TO VERY  
SHALLOW MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT.    
  
WE SHOULD HAVE A BRIEF PERIOD OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPS BEHIND THE FRONT  
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.  HOWEVER NO LAKE EFFECT IS  
EXPECTED SINCE HIGH PRESSURE IS PROGGED TO BE OVER THE SUPERIOR  
REGION...SUPPLYING SW MI WITH A DRY EASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW.  
  
WE SHOULD WARM TO NEAR OR EVEN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL FOR TUE/WED AS  
UPPER RIDGING DEVELOPS ALOFT AND RETURN FLOW IS REALIZED ON THE BACK  
SIDE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE.  WE COULD SEE A FEW FLURRIES  
TUESDAY...AND SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES INTO WEDNESDAY IN THE WARM  
ADVECTION PATTERN.  
  

[OKwx2k4]

Check this out - a storm that is heading for Iceland is going to rise temps 50° above normal and possible get it above freezing near the North Pole.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/the-storm-that-will-unfreeze-the-north-pole/ar-BBo2Bxy?ocid=ansmsnweather11

 

 

http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2015123012/gfs_T2m_nhem_6.png

That's pretty awesome. Lots of power in the atmosphere right now for sure.

[Tom]

Check this out - a storm that is heading for Iceland is going to rise temps 50° above normal and possible get it above freezing near the North Pole.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/the-storm-that-will-unfreeze-the-north-pole/ar-BBo2Bxy?ocid=ansmsnweather11

 

 

http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/gfs/2015123012/gfs_T2m_nhem_6.png

Arctic temps are sky rocketing because of this particular storm...check this out...

 

http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/plots/meanTarchive/meanT_2015.png

[Geos]

Arctic temps are sky rocketing because of this particular storm...check this out...

 

 

It was covered on ABC world news tonight and they failed to mention it would only be for a matter of hours then drop again. The made it sounds like it was going to be as warm as southern California up there! 

 

Looks like a little disturbance in northern Iowa producing some snow tonight.

[bainbridgekid]

Couple pictures from the little snow event this morning around Evanston.

 

Saw some cross country skiers skiing along the lake at Northwestern!

 

[westMJim]

Looking out the window its now starting to get light out.  And there is around a half inch of new snow on the ground. I call this renewal snow as it makes the snow on the ground nice and white and you still do not have to go out and remove any of it. This will be the  warmest December in Grand Rapids recorded history as of today GRR is still at a mean temp of 39.4° or +10.2° the current record warmest December mean is 36.6° or +7.4° set in 1923.  2015 will have set new record monthly records for the coldest  February (13.3° -13.5°) and now the warmest December.  This will be the first time that both a record coldest month and a record warmest month has happened in the same year here in Grand Rapids. That may also be the case at other locations. Has this happened this year anywhere else? And has anyone else had a year with a record coldest and warmest months on record?

[Tom]

@ WestMJim, sounds like a bipolar year!  I'd say 2015 was a year of extreme's, esp during the Winter seasons.

 

Saw this tweet from Bill Snyder @ WGN...

 

 

 

Wed 1.1" of snow brings the seasonal total in Chi to 15.7"----the snowiest in 5 yrs (2010---16.2") and the 27th snowiest of past 132 yrs.

 

As we begin to ring in the New Year, it's finally nice to see a snow cover around here and waking up to a white scenery.  Feels and looks like Winter again.  It'll be a rather chilly NYE with temps in the low 20's/upper 10's as the countdown begins.  Can't believe how fast this year has gone by!

 

 

The Boarding on Flight 2016 has been announced......Hope you have checked in only the best souvenirs from 2015 in your luggage.... The bad and sad moments if carried, must be thrown away in the garbage on arrival .......

The flight will be 12 months long.
So, loosen your seat belts, jingle and mingle.
The stop-overs will be :
Health, Love, Joy, Harmony, Well-being and Peace.
Refueling will be at Giving, Sharing and Caring.
The Captain (God) offers you the following menu which will be served during the flight.......
A Cocktail of Friendship,
A Supreme of Health,
A Grating of Prosperity,
A Bowl of Excellent News ,
A salad of Success,
A Cake of Happiness,
All accompanied by bursts of laughter...
But remember, you will enjoy these meals and the journey better if you talk, share, smile and laugh together. Sitting silent and sullen will make the flight seem longer.
Wishing you and your family an enjoyable trip on board of flight 2016.....



Before the Flight 2015 ends,
Allow me to say "Thank You" for making 2015 A Beautiful and Memorable year,
I Pray that you and family be Blessed With an Awesome Year Ahead.

[Hawkeye]

I picked up a few tenths of an inch of snow yesteday morning.  That was supposed to be it, but then another weak disturbance dropped 3/4 inch of snow late last evening to boost my daily total to 1.1 inches.  My December snowfall total is 5.4 inches and my precip total is 4.43".

 

My season snowfall total to date is 11.6 inches.  Waterloo has already had two 10+ inch storms.

 

My 2015 precip total is 47.13, way above average.

[Geos]

I don't know what the final departure for this month will be yet, but it will be around +9.6° if the temps today pan out just right.

It's crazy that the average low is at 32°.

4.62" of moisture with 8.8" of snow (and sleet). 1.76" of the water equivalent was frozen. Actually managed 4 days of snow cover and just shy of the monthly snowfall average of 9.5". 

Sun is finally breaking out significantly.

[westMJim]

It looks like here in Grand Rapids we will end the year and start the new year with around 2 to 4" of new snow. 

[Geos]

Somehow it is snowing lightly outside.

[OKwx2k4]

 

@ WestMJim, sounds like a bipolar year! I'd say 2015 was a year of extreme's, esp during the Winter seasons.

 

Saw this tweet from Bill Snyder @ WGN...

 

 

As we begin to ring in the New Year, it's finally nice to see a snow cover around here and waking up to a white scenery. Feels and looks like Winter again. It'll be a rather chilly NYE with temps in the low 20's/upper 10's as the countdown begins. Can't believe how fast this year has gone by!

 

 

 

The Boarding on Flight 2016 has been announced......Hope you have checked in only the best souvenirs from 2015 in your luggage.... The bad and sad moments if carried, must be thrown away in the garbage on arrival .......

 

The flight will be 12 months long.

So, loosen your seat belts, jingle and mingle.

The stop-overs will be :

Health, Love, Joy, Harmony, Well-being and Peace.

Refueling will be at Giving, Sharing and Caring.

The Captain (God) offers you the following menu which will be served during the flight.......

A Cocktail of Friendship,

A Supreme of Health,

A Grating of Prosperity,

A Bowl of Excellent News ,

A salad of Success,

A Cake of Happiness,

All accompanied by bursts of laughter...

But remember, you will enjoy these meals and the journey better if you talk, share, smile and laugh together. Sitting silent and sullen will make the flight seem longer.

Wishing you and your family an enjoyable trip on board of flight 2016.....

 

 

Before the Flight 2015 ends,

Allow me to say "Thank You" for making 2015 A Beautiful and Memorable year,

I Pray that you and family be Blessed With an Awesome Year Ahead.

Happy New Year Tom. Hope you and your family have a blessed new year.

[westMJim]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

December 2015 is now in the record books and it was one for the record books. Here in west Michigan 2015 was the warmest December ever at Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Muskegon (and probably all other locations as well)  In Grand Rapids the mean temp was 39.1° and that is +9.9° the coldest it got all month was only 21° and that is a new record warmest minimum for the month the warmest it got was 61. And GRR had only 2.5” of snow/sleet.  At Lansing the mean temp for the month was 39.0° and that is +10.7° the coldest it got there was only 22°  and that is also a new record warm minimum for the month, the warmest there was 63° . And Lansing only had 1.9” of sleet/snow. And at Muskegon the mean temp was 39.8° and that is +9.6°. and over there they only had 4.9” of sleet/snow. They also set a new warmest record warmest minimum temp of only 24° and the highest there for the month was 63° So all in all an historic December.

[Geos]

December 2015 wrap up. Mild and wet in a nutshell, but still better in the snowfall department than December of 2011 or 2014.

 

[jaster220]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

December 2015 is now in the record books and it was one for the record books. Here in west Michigan 2015 was the warmest December ever at Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Muskegon (and probably all other locations as well)  In Grand Rapids the mean temp was 39.1° and that is +9.9° the coldest it got all month was only 21° and that is a new record warmest minimum for the month the warmest it got was 61. And GRR had only 2.5” of snow/sleet.  At Lansing the mean temp for the month was 39.0° and that is +10.7° the coldest it got there was only 22°  and that is also a new record warm minimum for the month, the warmest there was 63° . And Lansing only had 1.9” of sleet/snow. And at Muskegon the mean temp was 39.8° and that is +9.6°. and over there they only had 4.9” of sleet/snow. They also set a new warmest record warmest minimum temp of only 24° and the highest there for the month was 63° So all in all an historic December.

 

And the 2nd one in a row that I can't wait to forget. Give me winter in December, thank you very much!