..THE GRAND RAPIDS MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM   
12/1/2009 TO 2/28/2010...  
  
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000  
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1892 TO 2010  
  
WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR'S           
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)        
                                          NORMAL                         
............................................................  
  
TEMPERATURE (F)  
RECORD  
 HIGH              69   12/05/2001                                      
                        02/11/1999                                      
 LOW              -24   02/14/1899                                      
                        02/13/1899                                      
HIGHEST            49   01/24        53      -4       61  02/10         
                        12/02                                           
                        12/01                                           
LOWEST              4   01/30        -6      10       -8  01/17         
                                                          01/15         
AVG. MAXIMUM     31.7              31.9    -0.2     31.1                
AVG. MINIMUM     21.7              18.1     3.6     16.5                
MEAN             26.7              25.0     1.7     23.8                
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0                
DAYS MAX <= 32     55              46.8     8.2       60                
DAYS MIN <= 32     83              82.4     0.6       85                
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               7.4    -7.4        7                
  
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)  
RECORD  
 MAXIMUM        13.78   1898                                            
 MINIMUM         2.08   1987                                            
TOTALS           5.64              6.27   -0.63    11.32                
DAILY AVG.       0.06              0.07   -0.01     0.13                
DAYS >= .01        43              44.1    -1.1       56                
DAYS >= .10        19              17.2     1.8       26                
DAYS >= .50         2               2.6    -0.6        6                
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.9    -0.9        2                
GREATEST  
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.56   12/09 TO 12/09                                  
  
SNOWFALL (INCHES)  
RECORDS  
 TOTAL           94.9   2008                                            
TOTALS           69.5              52.1    17.4     94.5                
SINCE 7/1        70.2                                                   
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      4                 3       1        5                
DAYS >= 1.0        19              14.9     4.1                         
GREATEST  
 SNOW DEPTH        11   12/11                         17  12/24         
 24 HR TOTAL      9.5   02/09 TO 02/10                                  
  
DEGREE_DAYS  
HEATING TOTAL    3424              3599    -175     3695                
 SINCE 7/1       4692              5056    -364     5005                
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0                
 SINCE 1/1          0                 0       0        0                
  
FREEZE DATES  
EARLIEST                        10/13                                   
LATEST                          05/02                                    
.............................................................  
  
WIND (MPH)  
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.5  
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    32/050    DATE  02/05  
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    44/050    DATE  02/05  
  
SKY COVER  
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   19  
  
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            4  
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             17  
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         69  
  
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     73  
  
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH   
THUNDERSTORM              1     MIXED PRECIP               2  
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       2  
LIGHT RAIN                8     FREEZING RAIN              2  
LT FREEZING RAIN         11     HAIL                       1  
HEAVY SNOW                8     SNOW                      17  
LIGHT SNOW               57     SLEET                      2  
FOG                      51     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      9  
HAZE                     52                                             
                                                                      
-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.                                        
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.                                  
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.                                         
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.                                            

What do sunny days with mild afternoon temperatures above freezing alternating between clear, chilly nights mean?  The beginning of Sugar Bush!  This week's weather will be perfect for the beginning of maple syrup production.  It all starts by having the appropriate weather to get the tree sap flowing.  We are gaining nearly three minutes of daylight each day now.  Combine that with sunny, mild days and clear, cold nights and you have great weather to start tapping the maple trees for sap.  It takes just over 40 gallons of collected sap to be boiled down and reduced to a gallon of amber gold, pure maple syrup.  Look for area producers to have the first batch of maple syrup for the 2010 season ready before the end of this month.  Now all you need is some homemade pancakes, fried potatoes, and bacon or sauage links to celebrate this annual rite of spring!   

The month of March came in like a lamb across West Michigan on Monday afternoon with sunshine and above freezing temperaturers in the mid 30s to around 40 degrees.  In fact the high hit 41 degrees in Grand Rapids which was only the third time this year the temperature has reached 40 or better.  Furthermore, it was the second warmerest day we've seen so far this year next to the rainy 49 degrees that occurred on January 24.  You can expect quiet, late winter weather this week with a gradual warming trend over the weekend.  We should see plenty of sunshine on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as daytime highs rise from the mid 30s on Wednesday to lower 40s by Friday.  Nighttime lows will be chilly over the next few nights as skies will be mostly clear to partly cloudy with light and variable winds.  Some locations in the countryside away from the cities could see lows briefly dip into teens.  Otherwise a developing storm system later in the weekend will likely pull warmer air northward into Lower Michigan.  Temperatures will warm into the 40s over the upcoming weekend with an increasing chance of some light rain or drizzle along with some areas of fog Saturday night into Sunday.  

Snowfall Map courtesy of the Grand Rapids National Weather Service Forecast Office

A modest winter storm brought moderate to heavy snow Sunday night into Monday morning across the southeastern third of Lower Michigan mainly from the Grand Rapids area south and eastward to and along the Interstate 94 corridor from Paw Paw and Kalamazoo, through Battle Creek and Jackson.  Grand Rapids set a new daily snowfall record of 4.9 inches for February 22 which beat the old record of 4.8 inches set in 1937.

Below is a graphic I constructed based on several computer forecast models. I believe areas in light blue will pick up about 5"-8" with some isolated 8"-10" amounts possible south and east of Grand Rapids. Most of those counties are under a Winter Storm Warning through Monday afternoon. Lighter amounts of snow will occur south of I94 to the Michigan/Indiana border as I believe some freezing rain and rain may mix in at times and keep snow totals down to around 3"-6" there. Muskegon, Oceana, Newaygo, and Mecosta counties are under Winter Weather Advisories and I anticipate about 3"-6" in those areas. Obviously, any deviation in the track of the low can make all the difference in the world, but that's the latest as of Sunday evening.

STORM SUMMARY NUMBER 6 FOR SOUTHERN SNOWSTORM
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
1000 PM EST FRI FEB 12 2010

...RARE WINTER STORM IN PROGRESS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED
STATES...

WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FROM MOST OF GEORGIA NORTHEAST
ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA INTO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF NORTH CAROLINA.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FROM SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE
EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN NORTH CAROLINA.

FOR A DETAILED GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF THE LATEST
WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES...PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV

AT 1000 PM EST...AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WITH A CENTRAL PRESSURE
OF 992 MB...29.29 INCHES...DEVELOPED IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN 60
MILES EAST OF SAINT AUGUSTINE FLORIDA AND WAS ESTIMATED TO BE
MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER
RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATED A SHIELD OF SNOW EXTENDED
FROM GEORGIA NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. MODERATE TO HEAVY
RAINS ACROSS THE FLORIDA KEYS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY INTO THE FLORIDA
STRAITS.

...SELECTED STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IN INCHES FROM 200 AM EST THU FEB
11 THROUGH 900 PM EST THU FEB 12...

...GEORGIA...
LUMPKIN                               6.0                    
TALBOTTON                           4.0                    
HAMILTON 5 W                      3.5                    
VILLA RICA                            3.5                    
SENOIA 2 N                           3.0                    
DACULA                                2.5                    
CUTHBERT                            2.0                    
MACON                                 2.0                    
ROME                                   2.0                    
FORT GAINES                       1.0                    

...SOUTH CAROLINA...
COLUMBIA 4 ESE                    5.0                    
EVANS 1 SE                           5.0                    
BLYTHE                                  4.0                    
COLUMBIA                              4.0                    
LEXINGTON 2 WNW                 4.0                    
SMOAKS                                 4.0                    
BAMBERG                               3.0                    
BARNWELL                             3.0                    
CHAPIN                                   3.0                    
CHARLESTON                         .0                    

...SELECTED PEAK WIND GUSTS IN MILES PER HOUR EARLIER IN THE
EVENT...

...FLORIDA...
BISCAYNE PARK 5 S                 62                    
LONG KEY                                57                    
PERRINE                                   57                    
CUTLER RIDGE                          56                    
KENDALL                                   56                    
SOUTH MIAMI                            56                    

...SELECTED STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IN INCHES WHERE THE EVENT HAS
ENDED...

...ALABAMA...
BELLEVILLE                            6.0                    
BRANTLEY                              5.0                    
EVERGREEN 5 N                     5.0                    
THOMASVILLE                         5.0                    
EUFAULA 4 S                          4.5                    
LOTTIE                                    4.5                    
ARITON                                   4.0                    
PINSON                                   4.0                    
RAMER                                    4.0                    
TROY                                      4.0                    
WARD                                     4.0                    

...ARKANSAS...
FOREMAN                                 4.0                    
TEXARKANA 1 N                        4.0                    
ASHDOWN                                3.0                    
MENA                                       3.0                    
AMITY 1 N                                 2.5                    
VANDERVOORT                        2.5                    
DE QUEEN                               2.0                    
HAMPTON                                2.0                    
FORDYCE 6.6 NNW                  1.8                    

...LOUISIANA...
SHREVEPORT 9.1 SE                     6.1                    
NATCHITOCHES 0.9 NE                   6.0                    
SHONGALOO 5 N                            6.0                    
SICILY ISLAND 3.3 WNW                 6.0                    
GOLDONNA 8.8 SSW                      5.6                    
MONROE                                        5.0                    
PLAIN DEALING 3.3 ESE                 5.0                    
HOMER 1.2 N                                  3.7                    
WEST MONROE 6.1 WSW               3.5                    

...MISSISSIPPI...
DE KALB                                   8.0                    
CATAHOULA                             5.0                    
VICKSBURG                             5.0                    
BRANDON 1.9 NE                      4.6                    
MADISON 1.1 SW                      4.5                    
RAYVILLE                                  4.2                    
BROOKHAVEN                          4.0                    
MCCALL CREEK 5 W                 4.0                    
FOREST                                    3.5                    
PORT GIBSON 6 NW                  3.5                    

...OKLAHOMA...
HAWORTH 4 SW                          7.5                    
IDABEL 8 SE                                7.5                    
ADA 0.3 NNW                               5.6                    
RATTAN 13 E                                4.5                    
LOCO 0.9 SE                                4.3                    
CORINNE                                      3.5                    
FORT TOWSON 1 W                      3.5                    
SULPHUR 2.5 WSW                      3.5                    
CANEY 7 W                                  3.0                    
CAMDEN 1.8 NNW                        2.0                    

...TEXAS...
DUNCANVILLE 1.7 NNW                  14.9                    
HASLET                                          14.2                    
FORT WORTH                                 12.6                    
DALLAS                                          12.5                    
MANSFIELD 2.6 NNE                       12.2                    
BRIDGEPORT                                  12.0                    
ROYSE CITY                                   12.0                    
SANGER 1.8 WSW                          12.0                    
MESQUITE 3.3 ESE                         11.4                    
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS 1.9 NE      11.3                    

...SELECTED STORM TOTAL FREEZING RAIN IN INCHES WHERE THE EVENT
HAS ENDED...

...ALABAMA...
IRONDALE                              0.30                    


THIS SURFACE LOW WILL PROGRESS QUICKLY TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST
OFFSHORE GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. A
POLAR AIR MASS REMAINS IN PLACE BEHIND THIS STRENGTHENING STORM
WHICH WILL ALLOW WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO FALL TO ITS
NORTHWEST ACROSS THE CAROLINAS BEFORE THE LOW MOVES EAST OF CAPE
HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4
INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...ARE POSSIBLE IN ACROSS THE
EASTERN CAROLINAS.

THE NEXT STORM SUMMARY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL
PREDICTION CENTER AT 400 AM EST. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR LOCAL
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS
EVENT.