March 2024 Observations and Discussion

[james1976]

WWA for Thursday night 3-5". It will be mostly gone before the next storm due to the higher sun angle.

[Minny_Weather]

Quote

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
305 PM CDT Wed Mar 20 2024

MNZ041>045-047>053-059>063-068>070-211000-
/O.NEW.KMPX.WW.Y.0008.240322T0000Z-240322T1500Z/
Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stevens-Pope-Stearns-
Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-
Washington-Carver-Scott-Dakota-
Including the cities of Alexandria, Long Prairie, Little Falls,
Princeton, Mora, Morris, Glenwood, St Cloud, Sauk Rapids,
Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Monticello, Minneapolis,
Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria,
Shakopee, and Hastings
305 PM CDT Wed Mar 20 2024

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THURSDAY TO 10 AM
CDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5
  inches.

* WHERE...Portions of central, east central and west central
  Minnesota.

* WHEN...From 7 PM Thursday to 10 AM CDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous
  conditions could impact the morning commute.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can
be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

I'm in the same WWA as the Cities. Grid has 3-7".

[Tom]

As the sun was setting behind the storm to my west, I captured a cool orange fiery red sky along with a bolt of lightning.  Freaking cool!

 

[westMJim]

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 37/21 there was 0.3” of snowfall. The highest wind gust was 37 MPH out of the NW. There was 29% of possible sunshine. For today the average H/L is 47/8 the record high for the date and the month of March is 87 the record low of 9 was set in 1965. The most rainfall is 0.79” in 2007 the most snowfall is 6.8” in 2008 the most on the ground is 9” in 1965. Last year the H/L was 53/32.

The overnight low here in MBY was a cold 15 that is the coldest low since February 24^th at the current time is 18 with mostly cloudy skies.

 

[westMJim]

March 21 weather history in southern Lower Michigan

1983: Spring starts on a snowy note with record daily snowfall of 6 to 8 inches from Muskegon to Lansing.

2008: A record 6.6 inches of snow fell at Grand Rapids on the first day of Spring. Muskegon had a record 7 inches, while 8 to 14 inches of snow fell south of a line from Holland to Jackson.

On March 21, 2012, high temperatures of 84, 86, and 87 were recorded in Detroit, Flint, and Saginaw respectively. All of these temperatures broke the all-time March records for warmth at each location. Saginaw was particularly impressive, shattering its previous all-time March record of 83 by four degrees. Ultimately, one more record-breaking day in Detroit would relegate this day to be its second warmest March day ever recorded. The records for Flint and Saginaw, however, still stand.

Also on March 21, 2008, a winter storm hit the greater Metro Detroit region. While most of the metro area received 3 to 7 inches of snow, a band of 8 to 10 inches fell from Dexter and the Irish Hills across Saline, Tecumseh, Dundee and into Temperance.

Also on March 21, 1913, powerful winds swept across Southeast Michigan as a strong cold front moved across the state. The wind storm was one of the strongest in the local climate record and caused widespread damage, countless injuries, and several fatalities.

According to the historical record, east winds gusting to around 30 mph during the pre-dawn hours turned to the south, allowing the temperature in Detroit to rise to 57 degrees by 9 a.m. With the passage of the cold front, temperatures fell precipitously through the day, reaching a low of 23 degrees by midnight. As the cold air first began spilling into the area, winds initially turned southwesterly and began gusting to over 60 mph between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. The average wind speed during the following hour increased to 71 mph with a peak gust of nearly 80 mph. Shortly thereafter, at 11:15 a.m., a peak wind gust of 86 mph was recorded. Altogether, winds gusted in excess of 70 mph for approximately 3 hours while gusts in excess of 60 mph continued for around 6 hours.

Damage was significant, widespread, and conservatively estimated at $500,000 (equivalent to $11,500,000 in 2012 dollars after adjusting for inflation). Buildings were razed, roofs and chimneys were destroyed, and trees were broken and uprooted. In addition, vehicles were overturned and there were accounts of a delivery wagon having been blown through the window of a restaurant on Lafayette Boulevard. In addition to several fatalities, one of which included a Grand Trunk watchman who was blown in front of a moving train, injuries to pedestrians were numerous and included arm, leg, and skull fractures. The strong winds also caused the Detroit River level to fall so low that the water intakes for manufacturing plants were cut off, resulting in their closure. On the Canadian side, thirteen freight train cars were derailed by large waves.

[Tom]

We've had quite a bit of snow the last 7 days up in the ski resorts of AZ....Snowbowl 38" and Sunrise Park 47"...and there is more to come this weekend late on SAT and into Palm Sunday.  What a blessing!  

PHX avg high is up to 80F today...its a gorgeous morning as the skies are clear and birds are singing.  I love these mornings.  Heading up into the mid 80's...perfection!

 

[chescowxman]

We saw widespread 20's across the area this morning and temps today will struggle to reach the mid-40's. This is almost 10 degrees below normal levels for late March. Today and Friday will be sunny but a developing noreaster will move up the coast with rain starting by later Friday night and lasting through the day on Saturday. We could see almost 2 inches of rain before ending Saturday night.

County wide records for today: High 88 degrees Phoenixville (1948) / Low 7 above Phoenixville (1965) / Rain 2.52" Nottingham (2019)/ Snow 13.0" Devault (1958)

[Hawkeye]

12z Euro for Friday.  I'm going to take the under here by about six inches.  The Euro is a clear south outlier.

[Hawkeye]

Now the RRFS has also jumped south with Friday's snow band.

 

[Minny_Weather]

Fat flakes have been coming down for the last 30 or so minutes 

[Andie]

54*. Steady light rain.  
Should continue to 11pm unless something forms behind it.  

[Hawkeye]

00z HRRR.... shifted back north a bit, probably a little too juiced.

[Minny_Weather]

Radar returns were definitely better than modeled for the first couple of hours of the storm. I think they downplayed the width of the heavy band and that translated into 1"/hr rates. 

Now, returns are about in line with what was modeled. Still, can't help but feel like we scored a bonus inch out of this. 3-4" may have just become 4-5". 23°F.

[jaster220]

With a small patch/drift of snow next to my driveway, I'm looking at "snow-on-snow" to start off my spring right! (SMH)

GRR's latest map with the heaviest about a county south of here, but we've been in a sort of sweet spot this mild winter, so I wouldn't be surprised if it bumped north, especially considering the time of year. Had 17F on my car dash heading to work this morning. Even our cove here at the lake has skinned back over with ice. Supposed to hit 50F by Monday at least, after yet another wintry weekend. 

[hawkstwelve]

The full 15-day snowfall totals on the 18z GFS looked like something straight out of the heart of winter, not March/April.

[Madtown]

Just now, jaster220 said:

With a small patch/drift of snow next to my driveway, I'm looking at "snow-on-snow" to start off my spring right! (SMH)

GRR's latest map with the heaviest about a county south of here, but we've been in a sort of sweet spot this mild winter, so I wouldn't be surprised if it bumped north, especially considering the time of year. Had 17F on my car dash heading to work this morning. Even our cove here at the lake has skinned back over with ice. Supposed to hit 50F by Monday at least, after yet another wintry weekend. 

4th first ice is always the best ice

[jaster220]

[Hawkeye]

There are some wildly different forecasts from the short-term models tonight.  A couple show the heavy snow band through ne Iowa, with nothing in Cedar Rapids.  A couple others show the heavy band through Cedar Rapids, with nothing in ne Iowa.  The rest are in between.

[westMJim]

Here in MBY there is now 1” of snow on the ground. This is the 1st time there has been one inch or more on the ground here since February 20th The overnight low in MBY was 25 and at the current time it is 27 with light snow falling.

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 35/29 there was no rain or snowfall. The sun was out 60% of the possible time. For today the average H/L is 47/29 the record high of 85 was set in 2012 and the record low of 6 was set in 1906. The wettest was in 1955 with 0.79” that fell as 4.1” of snow. The most snowfall of 6.3” fell in 1965 and the most snow on the ground was in 1965 with 11” Last year the H/L was 49/40 and there was 0.04” of rain fall.

[westMJim]

Weather history for March 24 in southern Lower Michigan

1938: Temperatures soar into the 80s during one of the warmest March days in Lower Michigan. Grand Rapids ties their record high for the month at 82 degrees and Lansing sets a record for the date of 81 degrees.

On March 22, 2012, an unprecedented spring heatwave, and quite possibly the most anomalous weather event in over 130 years of record-keeping in Michigan, came to a close. The high temperature of 86 was the warmest March temperature ever in Detroit, beating by two degrees the record of 84 degrees set the day before. Highs of 84 and 75 in Flint and Saginaw fell short of the all-time March records set the day before. However, the 84-degree high in Flint still tied for the second warmest March temperature on record (Flint also reached 84 degrees on March 20, 2012, and March 22, 1938).

Altogether, SE Michigan shattered all significant records for March warmth. Detroit set 6 records in 8 days, including tying or breaking the monthly record twice. Flint set 8 records in 9 days, including tying or breaking the monthly record three times. Saginaw set 6 records in 8 days, which also included tying or breaking the monthly record two times.

The heat wave also included 10 consecutive days (March 14-23) of 70 degrees or higher in Detroit. This has never happened in March. In fact, it has never even happened in April. The closest competition is a span of 9 days late in the month of April over 125 years ago, in 1886.

Also on March 22, 1938, the daytime temperature soared to 82 degrees in Saginaw county, which ties for the third-highest maximum temperature recorded in Saginaw in the month of March.

Elsewhere in the US

1988,  Chicago’s morning low dips to one degree below zero, the latest sub-zero Fahrenheit reading in the city’s history. This record still stands today.

1893, The first tornado was recorded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on this date. It destroyed 14 buildings and injured four people as it passed through the center of town. There was minor damage to the Weather Bureau office, which was located at Grand and Robinson in south Oklahoma City.

1920, A spectacular display of the “Northern Lights” was visible as far south as Bradenton FL, El Paso, TX and Fresno, CA. At Detroit MI, the display was described “so brilliant as to blot out all-stars below the first magnitude

[Andie]

55* to 68* Today. 
Rain free day.  Monday should bring more showers.  

[Minny_Weather]

My eyeball guess is about 3". About what I expected from this, so can't say I'm disappointed. At least it looks like winter, which I wasn't able to say much during actual winter.

I expect a lot of it to be gone after today with highs near the freezing mark and partial sun. 21°F.

[Niko]

• NOW until
  12:00am Sat

  

  Winter Weather Advisory

• Today
   

  

  Heavy Snow

  High: 34 °F

• Tonight
   

  

  Snow Likely

  Low: 26 °F

  Well, isn't this special. A snowstorm for the Macomb area today. They are calling for 3-6inches, maybe more, if strong banding falls in. Part 2 is later this evening, w/ more snow. Temps are in the 20s attm. Honestly, I was hoping we were done w/ this mild winter. I would much rather had this back in February when not a flake fell...geez. Anyways, roads are not too good after listening to the news, numerous accidents out there. Looking out the window now, its snowing quite good and everything is covered, considering high sun angle. Good thing is that by early next week, this will all be a memory LOL...and back to spring.

[Hawkeye]

The snow is ripping pretty good here.  The ground is completely covered.  I'm guessing we might get a couple inches.

[Tom]

11 hours ago, Minny_Weather said:

Radar returns were definitely better than modeled for the first couple of hours of the storm. I think they downplayed the width of the heavy band and that translated into 1"/hr rates. 

Now, returns are about in line with what was modeled. Still, can't help but feel like we scored a bonus inch out of this. 3-4" may have just become 4-5". 23°F.

This should be a nice base for the Big Dog that is forthcoming...haven't checked the models since midday yesterday but my gut says you'll be in the jackzone...

On the other hand, the system tracking over the lower lakes today is very very similar to what happened late in the 1st cycle of the LRC a few days before Veteran's Day, iirc...I took a snapshot of my notes and remember watching the radar explode over IA/N IL/S WI into lower MI.  The system thats going to plague S FL for the weekend (not good for Spring Breakers)  lines up with this pattern.

 

Meantime, PHX is heading up into the upper 80's today before the arrival of the big storm later this weekend.  It won't be as big as some of them this season, but noteworthy Snow should fall up in the mountains and some beneficial valley RN.  

 

[Tom]

I saw there was a possible report of Thundersnow near MDW earlier today...my sister sent me a video of her in the city proper and it was ripping pretty good.  Sadly, she also was driving through all the tents set up with migrants everywhere.  Some parts of Chicago are really turning into a freakin' ghetto!  Sad sad sad...anyway, congrats on the snow today...#statpadding

[bud2380]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye said:

The snow is ripping pretty good here.  The ground is completely covered.  I'm guessing we might get a couple inches.

Just measured 2.5" at work when I finally got here.  The snow in North Liberty and Tiffin was coming down extremely hard.  Flakes were half dollar sized.  The radar was red like a thunderstorm, although I did not hear any thunder or see any lightning here.  I'm guessing we see 4+" reports for sure.  

[MIKEKC]

WOW! That band of snow in Iowa near Cedar Rapids and Iowa City was crazy looking on radar. Has to be some surprise amounts from that....Winter Storm Warning was issued quickly. Forecasting on the fly!!!

Surprise snow amounts are the best. 

[bud2380]

Some impressive totals so far.  I just measured again at work and got 3.3".  I'm guessing North Liberty will end up with 4-5" as it has been just ripping down there for awhile now.  

 

[Hawkeye]

7" now being reported in Shellsburg, just nw of Cedar Rapids, and Tama, two counties west of CR.  Major kudos to the models that shifted south to the hw30 corridor through CR.

[Minny_Weather]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

This should be a nice base for the Big Dog that is forthcoming

I'd call it more of an appetizer than a base. I expect much of this to be gone by the end of the day.

[chescowxman]

Lows this AM were as cold as 19.3 in Warwick Township this AM - our coldest morning since back on February 25th. Sunny and below normal temps today before the rainstorm moves in tonight through tomorrow. The NWS has a flood watch posted for over 3 inches of rain for much of the area. Sunny and continued chilly by Sunday.

County wide records for today: The earliest 90 degree reading was today in Phoenixville back in 1948 / Low 6 above at both Devault and Phoenixville in 1956 / Rain 5.23" in Chadds Ford in 2000/ Snowfall 7.0" in West Grove in 1964

[MIKEKC]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

I saw there was a possible report of Thundersnow near MDW earlier today...my sister sent me a video of her in the city proper and it was ripping pretty good.  Sadly, she also was driving through all the tents set up with migrants everywhere.  Some parts of Chicago are really turning into a freakin' ghetto!  Sad sad sad...anyway, congrats on the snow today...#statpadding

Yep. Tom, it's happening in KC too. The homeless or migrant tents have tripled in #'s the last few years in certain parts of the city... My business  is getting beat up with the heavy cost of operations. The idea that costs have come down is a joke! We tried to hand down the cost and lost a lot of clients. (which is okay since we weren't making money at the previous prices, so, why have them) The biggest hit is our builders, we work for 7 of them in KC and they have gone to a crawl in giving us installs. I'm 25% less busy this year on contracts and landing large scale landscape installs are hard to find. Plus, the pay is very slow and some not paying at all. Folks are simply out of money. I employ 70 people too, we've hung on for 3 years without layoffs, but, they are likely coming this year. I've worked the streets in sales in the landscape industry for 30 years, since the age of 15. I know when people are out of money. The street doesn't lie... I have employees taking loans out against their 401 K's to survive. 

We have struggled to staff for 3 years now, but, this year, crazy amount of staff has become available to us. We ask them all where they are coming from and many have said they were laid off or their employer shut up shop. We had more interviews in the last month then we had in 3 years total!!! We finally have the staff we wanted and now, we don't have the work we need. 

#Weneedchange!!!

[WinterSquall23]

Spring has takin a vacation. May it went to Florida?  It was 70 here a few weeks ago

[bud2380]

Measured 3.8" at work final total.  I won't be home to measure at my house until it's melted and compacted, so this is the only total I'll be able to report.  

[Hawkeye]

I finished with 5.9" on the west side of Cedar Rapids.  My liquid total is a much-needed 0.74".  The very max part of the band dropped close to 7" just a hair north of me, but I am super thrilled with what I got.

[bud2380]

15 minutes ago, Hawkeye said:

I finished with 5.9" on the west side of Cedar Rapids.  My liquid total is a much-needed 0.74".  The very max part of the band dropped close to 7" just a hair north of me, but I am super thrilled with what I got.

That's amazing.  The NWS didn't buy into the models (namely Euro and HRRR) that were showing the Highway 30 corridor getting hit hard yesterday.  They should have.  

[Hawkeye]

It snowed for three hours, so we got 2"/hr rate avg.

[westMJim]

Just took a snowfall measurement and while I don't know how much has fallen there is now 3" of snow on my snow board. That is the most snowfall since February 15th depending on the snowfall totals this could be the 2nd most snow for this winter season. Getting light to moderate snowfall at this time.

[westMJim]

Still getting moderate snowfall and now here in MBY I am now at just under 5" of snow on the ground.