Grand Rapids reaches average season snowfall
January 9th, 2009 at 2:34 am by Bill Steffen under Bill's Blog, Weather
<–Nathan Hopkins plays in the snow (picture from Posted). Thursday evening (Jan. 8), Grand Rapids reached our average season snowfall. The average snowfall for Grand Rapids is 72.2″. As of 6 PM Saturday (Jan. 9), we stand at 75.0″. Keep in mind that the mid-point of winter (as far as temperature goes) doesn’t come for 2 weeks (Jan. 22-23)! Look at the difference Lake Michigan makes (lake-effect snow). Season snowfall: Milwaukee – 40.8″, Lansing 43.6″…about the same. Muskegon – 89.6″, Grand Rapids 72.5″. More than half the snow that has fallen this winter at the lakeshore has been lake-effect snow. Green Bay has had 54.7″. Ludington has had 103.9″ so far this winter. Fort Wayne, IN has had only 7.4″ of snow this winter! Other totals: Detroit 26.2″, Flint 40.6″, South Bend 35.9″ (they’ll add to that today), Chicago 24.6″ (ditto), Oshtemo – 77.2″ Houghton Lake – 69.1″, S.S. Marie – 83.8″, Marquette – 126.1″, Delaware (Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P.) – 149.2″. Out west: Seattle – 17.6″, Spokane – 79.3″ (on their way to the snowiest winter ever), Alta, Utah – 237″, Alyeska, Alaska – 286″, Timberline, Oregon – 294″. If you keep track of season snowfall, leave a comment and let us know what you’ve had this winter.
Does anyone have the totals for Hastings/Barry County?
Grand Rapids Season Snowfall Totals since 2000-2001 season.
2000-01: 98.1 inches
2001-02: 105.2 inches
2002-03: 88.0 inches
2003-04: 74.0 inches
2004-05: 80.7 inches
2005-06: 69.2 inches
2006-07: 83.3 inches
2007-08: 107.0 inches
8 year average: 88.2 inches
2008-09: So Far: 72.5 inches
All Time Snowfall Record for Grand Rapids: 1951-52: 132.0 inches
Mike E,
Where did you get those stats? I’ve been looking for something like that for areas in MI.
There use to be a site that somebody kept track of snowfall stats for the first-order stations in Michigan. I can no longer find the site. I just happen to write the snowfall stats down for Grand Rapids from the year 2000-01 and on.
I found the data this morning.
I know the NCDC has climate data for many cities in Michigan, but that can be
expensive. Michigan State Climatology Office usually gives just normal values
for 1971-2000. Same thing for the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
400 AM EST FRI JAN 9 2009
http://kamala.cod.edu/mi/latest.wwus43.KGRR.html
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN ZONE FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
402 AM EST FRI JAN 9 2009
http://kamala.cod.edu/mi/latest.fpus53.KGRR.html
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
425 AM EST FRI JAN 9 2009
http://kamala.cod.edu/mi/latest.fxus63.KGRR.html
Breckenridge Season Snowfall 50.4
Saugatuck is up to 80″ this year.
St.Johns Season Snowfall 40.2″
about 7 inches from normal..already!
2007/08- 67.4″ great year
2006/07- 28.5″
2005/06- 36.9″
2004/05- 71.5″ great year for snow here#2 all-time
I am not at my computer at home, but if we go over 100″ in Saugatuck, it will be the 3rd straight winter.
Approx. 5 miles west of Oshtemo: Total Season Snowfall Measured = 81.5″
Using the old ruler method I now have 83″ for the year…i still say we have already seen the bulk of the snow we will see this winter and as it gets colder the lake effect will become less and less.. I also think we will get either a bit snow or ice storm yet this your either in February or March! My total uneducated guess for the snow fall total for GR for this season is between 95 and 105 inches so it could be in the top 10 or better. We shall see how well I do.
SlimJim
Milt W…….when I was in college @ Michigan Tech in the late 1970’s we used snow data in one of the classes I had ……at the time the State and/or Fed changed funding for snow removal funds…they based it on actual snow local data….almost each county installed gauges and keeped good records…sometime its at the airports or road commission building….the counties in Michigan got very creative….they moved there snow/rain guages to drifting areas by buildings, or relocated them to remote areas that recieve higher snow falls….some counties would have mutiple gauges and record only the highest…and I’m sure some lied……the thing we were taught in the class was when you take the testing data (snow, rain air quality)that has a lengthy term of testing…you can take the yearly totals and accumulate them and place them on a log type chart….the result is a staight line……if the gauge has been moved…you will find a point in time that the line has bent and has a different slope…the bend in the year they moved the gauge..I know that funding is not done this way anymore…but archeives of small airports and road commissions would be a good place to start.
OMG MY WEATHER MACHINE WORKS!!!!!!
Does anyboody have the stats for La Nina influenced Winters for this area? Also what about recent stats for record or close to record snowfall in one month? How did previous Winters go after a huge month of snow? I was just curious where I could find that info, have to look at location specific parameters too! The Big Lake plays such a huge role in all of this!
We are either on track to bust the last record for snowfall or the remainder of the Winter will be dry. That is how I see it. All or nothing.
What do you think?
Larry, in response to your comment, I show 72.7″ snow so far here in Yankee Springs Twp. I live in the east side of the twp, so someone closer to Patterson Ave by Gun Lake will probably show more.
I think Allegan beats everyone in southwest Michigan . Do you know Allegan’s total snowfall this winter ?
What about Holland totals? I have hardly seen anything on the forecasts or online about Holland this year?
If you want stats for an area near you, check this site. http://www.cocorahs.org/ There may be a volunteer near you, and you can add up there repoted snowfall measurements. I am station MI-BR-3, I just added up my reports to get the 72.7″ figure
Bill – I wish woodtv.com would have a snowfall total gauge right on the front page. The ski resorts all do it and it is one more reason to come back and check the site. With lots of snowfall going on, it is fairly difficult to find out how much actually fell in the last day, week, month or season. Just a thought, thanks for the update on the totals on your blog.
TOO MUCH! lol
so what is the real total snow fall this winter at now
or where can we find the TOTAL snow fall for this winters season for Kent
thanks in advance
uui