February 2026 Observations & Discussions

[Niko]

1 hour ago, Clinton said:

Well if the AO and NAO were staying negative I'd be singing a different song.  The spire model however is throwing a bone to our neighbors up north. 

What the heck is this bud? A stripe of 10"+ for mby??!! Luv it!! 

[Clinton]

Just now, Niko said:

What the heck is this bud? A stripe of 10"+ for mby??!! Luv it!! 

Hope it verifies.  Winter won't end up your way anytime soon.

[Niko]

4 minutes ago, Clinton said:

Hope it verifies.  Winter won't end up your way anytime soon.

Thanks amigo!

Its a snow-globe up here...21 days of constant snow in the Detroit Metro area and up here in my area as well, especially..

[Hoosier]

2 hours ago, Clinton said:

Well if the AO and NAO were staying negative I'd be singing a different song.  The spire model however is throwing a bone to our neighbors up north. 

I knew there was a reason I loved that model.  

[Tom]

1 hour ago, MMike said:

Newest ICON agrees, 70’s in KC Monday/Tuesday next week! 

I’ll blow some more warmth your way if you want!

[Clinton]

Well the Euro AI is trying. 

[BLIZZARD09]

3 hours ago, Tom said:

@Jaycee_CHImight see snow flying yet again off the lake tomorrow morning...

 

 

TThe lake has been our main source of ant snow this year

[jaster220]

2 hours ago, BLIZZARD09 said:

TThe lake has been our main source of ant snow this year

yup - Chicago snow hole continues. Multi-year storm track drought. P'sad

[SE Nebraska wx]

I figured February would go to  

[Grizzcoat]

I know SLC is way bad , but not really relevant to this group as it's way West 

But North Platte,NE is.

1.9" for the season.

That's insane.

[Bryan1117]

19 hours ago, bud2380 said:

I’m officially ready for spring and let’s never talk about this winter again. I’m not sure we’ve gotten an inch total since Dec 13. 

Yep bring on the upcoming warm stretch… 50’s and maybe even 60’s in February sounds perfect if we aren’t going to get any snow. Stick a fork in this craptastic Winter.

[SE Nebraska wx]

2 hours ago, Grizzcoat said:

I know SLC is way bad , but not really relevant to this group as it's way West 

But North Platte,NE is.

1.9" for the season.

That's insane.

This has been a putrid season. 

[jaster220]

1 hour ago, Bryan1117 said:

Yep bring on the upcoming warm stretch… 50’s and maybe even 60’s in February sounds perfect if we aren’t going to get any snow. Stick a fork in this craptastic Winter.

You fellas out there deserve some kind of medal for hanging in here hoping against all odds that something would pop-up for yby's. Miserable situation - even our worst case winters (strong Nino's) are better than what you've suffered. Cannot imagine. Ofc, we do have our moments like zero measurable snow in Feb '98 for my old home in Traverse - a place that avg's 120 in per year. But entire seasons have not gone that way in my life time at least. 

[Minny_Weather]

There's 2" OTG here (reminder that I now live in SW MN), which I will lose in its entirety by Thursday. After that, I'm pretty much checking out on winter and will hope for nothing but a big dog, which I do not see much hope for in the next 2 weeks.

[SE Nebraska wx]

46 minutes ago, Minny_Weather said:

There's 2" OTG here (reminder that I now live in SW MN), which I will lose in its entirety by Thursday. After that, I'm pretty much checking out on winter and will hope for nothing but a big dog, which I do not see much hope for in the next 2 weeks.

Time to flush this epic terd of a winter. 

[Hoosier]

Some place in Cuba got down to 32 degrees this morning.  That is extraordinary.

[gimmesnow]

1 hour ago, Hoosier said:

Some place in Cuba got down to 32 degrees this morning.  That is extraordinary.

Yeah specially since I've been there and seen their houses. Most of them didn't have windows. Some didn't even have roofs. 

[westMJim]

Here in Grand Rapids we had a nice day yesterday with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 20’s.  Overnight it became cloudy and the temperatures held in the upper teens. The overnight low here in my yard held at 18.

KEY MESSAGES  

LIGHT SNOW THU-FRI WITH A CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE THU EVENING

COLDER THIS WEEKEND WITH LIGHT LAKE EFFECT ALONG THE LAKESHOR

MODERATING TEMPERATURES NEXT WEEK  

 

Detailed Forecast

Today

Scattered flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph after midnight.

Thursday

Snow likely before 4pm, then snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Cloudy, with a high near 27. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday Night

Snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain before 1am, then snow. Low around 24. South southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Friday

Snow likely before noon, then snow showers likely, mainly between noon and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 3.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 20.

Saturday Night

A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12.

Monday

Partly sunny, with a high near 31.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 26/18 there was a trace of snowfall. There is 10” of snow on the ground at the airport. The highest wind gust was 19 MPH out of the NW.  For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 53 was in 1962 the coldest high of 0 was in 1918 the record low of -17 was in 1966 the warmest low of 37 was in 1991. The wettest was 1.12” in 1986 the most snowfall of 10” was in 1900 the most snow on the ground was 20” in 1959.

Some weather history for February 4th 1988 A winter storm produced heavy snow from the Upper Ohio Valley to New England, with up to 12 inches reported in Vermont and New Hampshire. Strong northerly winds in the Upper Midwest produced wind chill readings as cold as 60 degrees below zero. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) and in  2011 A winter storm settled four to six inches of snow over northern Texas, including Dallas, just days before the Super Bowl between the Pittsburg Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.

 

[Tom]

Superbowl Clipper for our Michiganders???  Man, you sure do have the "hot hand' this week before the pattern re-aligns next week.

 

[chescowxman]

Several of our climate stations that did not see temperatures above freezing continue to be on track to set a record streak of days below freezing (day #12 today) which would be day #17 on Monday the 9th. The next 2 days look to be our relative mildest with highs in the upper 20's to near 30. An arctic front arrives on Friday which may kick off snow squalls and snow showers that may result in some minor accumulations by Saturday morning. Behind the front the weekend looks frigid once again. We may again have a chance to see temperatures near or above freezing by next Tuesday. In looking ahead, we can't really see any meaningful breaks from what our to date significantly colder than normal winter. Plus, snow chances look to increase toward the Valentines/Presidents day weekend.

[jaster220]

Just now, Tom said:

Superbowl Clipper for our Michiganders???  Man, you sure do have the "hot hand' this week before the pattern re-aligns next week.

 

Mentioned that possible scenario since these have been coming in pairs this season it would certainly fit the profile. Thinking I manage best depth by early next week. Then we'll see where things go after that? The month long "warm spell" mid-Dec to mid-Jan was pretty active and exciting up my way.  

[Tom]

46 minutes ago, jaster220 said:

Mentioned that possible scenario since these have been coming in pairs this season it would certainly fit the profile. Thinking I manage best depth by early next week. Then we'll see where things go after that? The month long "warm spell" mid-Dec to mid-Jan was pretty active and exciting up my way.  

You’ll score some bigger hits…I’ll dig into it more this week.

[MI Storm]

Could be something remotely interesting around the 14th. Looks pretty borderline here though. 

[Hawkeye]

Brutal winter for the plains.  Even on the rare occasions when the pattern becomes more active, the systems don't have any moisture until they reach the eastern US.  I hope they can get some rain this spring.

[OttumwaSnomow]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye said:

Brutal winter for the plains.  Even on the rare occasions when the pattern becomes more active, the systems don't have any moisture until they reach the eastern US.  I hope they can get some rain this spring.

The few troughs that have been west usa die or fade moving into plains or midwest. Then phase, plunge se into huge more powerful troughs east of miss river.  People saying pattern change have lost thier minds. For who california?  This is exactly the reason my part of se Iowa has over 50" deficit since July 2021!  I promise you this Arkansas up to ohio, including Illinois will be out of drought before Wapello county Iowa!  Of course maps are grossly inaccurate.. watch the mid month precip fall north of i80 and south of my area. Im the new nebraska!

[Bryan1117]

1 hour ago, OttumwaSnomow said:

The few troughs that have been west usa die or fade moving into plains or midwest. Then phase, plunge se into huge more powerful troughs east of miss river.  People saying pattern change have lost thier minds. For who california?  This is exactly the reason my part of se Iowa has over 50" deficit since July 2021!  I promise you this Arkansas up to ohio, including Illinois will be out of drought before Wapello county Iowa!  Of course maps are grossly inaccurate.. watch the mid month precip fall north of i80 and south of my area. Im the new nebraska!

Unfortunately the long-term weather pattern seems to be expanding directly to the east. Keep waiting on things to change for the better… still waiting LOL!

[MI Storm]

18z GFS says game on I-80 crew!

[hawkstwelve]

Can always count on the crazy uncle to deliver the goods. 

[Clinton]

Models are struggling with the timing and strength of the storms rolling through between the 12th-20th. I do believe there will be at least 1 big wound up storm for you guys north of I-80.

[SE Nebraska wx]

Ill believe it when I see it

[Andie]

Today: 0 inches

Yesterday: 0 inches

Current Month Total: 0 inches

Since Jan 1 (Year-to-Date): 0.93inches

Im sensing a trend.  

Come on! When?!

[Andie]

This is just dreadful.  
Come on rain!!

[MI Storm]

4 hours ago, SE Nebraska wx said:

Ill believe it when I see it

The 0z GFS was taylor made for you. I'm pulling for the I-80 crew! Weve been lucky here for a while. I wouldnt mind some rain to wash off the salt. I won;t say no to more snow though lol. 

[MI Storm]

1 hour ago, Andie said:

This is just dreadful.  
Come on rain!!

I can't belive were not in more of a drought. Almost all of our moisture the past couple months came from that one day in January that dropped about 1.50 of rain. Add in about .30 from the snow and January actually wan;t that below nomral precip wise. Hopefully as the Nina winds down. we get more moisture scoss the south. 

[OttumwaSnomow]

10 minutes ago, MI Storm said:

I can't belive were not in more of a drought. Almost all of our moisture the past couple months came from that one day in January that dropped about 1.50 of rain. Add in about .30 from the snow and January actually wan;t that below nomral precip wise. Hopefully as the Nina winds down. we get more moisture scoss the south. 

Ive had just .08" past 28 days.

Wont bore you with more stats,   11 of past 13 months drier than normal. Around a 55" deficit since July 2021. My local airport doesnt have 20" in past 13 months. Im a coop observer, cocorahs and skywarn spotter.  Ive sent pics and stats to drought monitor. We work on 5000 ac of farmland. Mow over 200 acre commercial lawns and  do snow on 65 commercial properties. Oh and own 3 farms. But somehow  the powers to be think I dont know  what a drought is?   Unless its such a small drought area they wont put it on the maps.

[Clinton]

Big warm up gets going today with my high temperature expected to be in the low 50s pushing into the mid 60s by Monday. 

Both the GFS and Euro have a storm in my area late next week with rain and/or snow possible as a bit of a battle zone sets up near mby. The moisture in whichever form will be welcome although it's February so I'm strongly rooting for snow.

[westMJim]

Officially yesterday Grand Rapids only reported a trace of snowfall. Here in my yard I did not see that happen but I really can not rule it out. The overnight low here in my yard was 15 but it now is up to 22 with mostly cloudy skies but I can see the moon thought the clouds.  After some light snow and a chance of freezing drizzle it looks to turn cold over the weekend before a warm up next week.

KEY MESSAGES

PERIODS OF SNOW THROUGH FRI, WITH FREEZING DRIZZLE LIKELY TONIGHT

MUCH COLDER THIS WEEKEND WITH SOME LAKE EFFECT ALONG THE LAKESHORE

QUIET EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH MODERATING TEMPERATURES

 

Detailed Forecast

Today

Snow likely before 4pm, then snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Patchy fog between 1pm and 3pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 28. South southwest wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tonight

Snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain. Patchy fog after 8pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 24. South southwest wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday

Snow likely, possibly mixed with freezing rain before 7am, then snow. Patchy fog before 11am. Temperature rising to near 35 by noon, then falling to around 26 during the remainder of the day. West wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Friday Night

A 10 percent chance of snow before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 3. Wind chill values as low as -6. North northwest wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 20. North wind around 6 mph.

Saturday Night

A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Monday

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Tuesday

Partly sunny, with a high near 36.

Tuesday Night

A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.

Wednesday

A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33.

The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 23/16 there was a trace of snowfall and there was 10” of snow on the ground.  For today the average H/L is 31/18 the record high of 52 was in 1991 the coldest high of 3 was in 1936 the record low of -16 was in 1895 the warmest low of 36 was in 1938. The most snowfall of 7.9” was in 2021 the most snow on the ground was 21” in 2014.

Some weather history for February 5^th 1988 Cold and snow invaded the southern U.S. Roswell NM was buried under 16.5 inches of snow in 24 hours, an all-time record for that location. Parts of the Central Gulf Coast Region reported their first significant snow in fifteen years. Strong winds in Minnesota and the Dakotas produced wind chill readings as cold as 75 degrees below zero. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) and in 2010 A mega-snowstorm, which President Obama dubbed Snowmageddon, buried the Washington D.C. area with more than 30 inches of snow in some areas. At American University in Washington the official snowfall was 27.5 inches. Snowfall totals in the Washington DC area range from a low of 17.9 inches at Ronald Reagan National Airport to 40 inches in the northern suburb of Colesville, MD. Dulles Airport reported 32.4 inches, which established a new two-day snowfall record. The Baltimore-Washington International Airport, MD, measured 24.8 inches from the storm breaking the record for the largest two day snowfall there. It is one of the worst blizzards in the city's history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom]

10 hours ago, Andie said:

This is just dreadful.  
Come on rain!!

Andie, the way this anchor ridge set up this year from TX into the Rockies should be a favorable position to increase the Monsoonal moisture into the 4 corners and Rockies mid and late summer.  Unfortunately, your area may continue the dryness into Summer until fronts settle south enough to hit your area.

[chescowxman]

Today, across multiple sites in Chester County will be the 13th consecutive day with below freezing temperatures. This is already the 3rd longest streak since 1893. These locations should establish a new prolonged cold record on Monday which will be the 17th day. Also, today will be the 20th consecutive day with continuous snow cover. This is the 22nd longest stretch with snow cover since 1893 and our longest streak since the 32 days from January 31, 2021 through March 3, 2021. Our greatest stretch was the 61 days back in 1978 from January 12th through March 13th. We continue with well below normal temperatures through early next week. An arctic cold front crosses the area overnight Friday into Saturday morning likely to bring potentially brief heavy snow squalls with an inch or two of snow possible in spots with briefly poor visibility and driving conditions. Highs for Saturday will occur just before dawn with temperatures then crash into the single digits during the day with wind chills in the minus teens below zero. What a memorable winter this has already been and we still have more than 6 weeks to go!

[chescowxman]

Today, across multiple sites in Chester County will be the 13th consecutive day with below freezing temperatures. This is already the 3rd longest streak since 1893. These locations should establish a new prolonged cold record on Monday which will be the 17th day. Also, today will be the 20th consecutive day with continuous snow cover. This is the 22nd longest stretch with snow cover since 1893 and our longest streak since the 32 days from January 31, 2021 through March 3, 2021. Our greatest stretch was the 61 days back in 1978 from January 12th through March 13th. We continue with well below normal temperatures through early next week. An arctic cold front crosses the area overnight Friday into Saturday morning likely to bring potentially brief heavy snow squalls with an inch or two of snow possible in spots with briefly poor visibility and driving conditions. Highs for Saturday will occur just before dawn with temperatures then crash into the single digits during the day with wind chills in the minus teens below zero. What a memorable winter this has already been and we still have more than 6 weeks to go!