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Author: Patricia Murphy

An unquenchable thirst for knowledge about the weather, an observer of world-wide weather events, and an addicted fan of the Weather Channel on TV. Some occurrences from our not too distant past have left me horrified to this day- such as the possibly avoidable tragedy of the damage and death trailing behind Katrina, where human error combined with Mother Nature for sheer terror, the unspeakable destructive Tsunamis in Japan and Thailand, scenes and sounds of which I can hardly bear to see or hear. But I do see and hear it all because I am enthralled, fascinated, by weather driven happenings every bit as much as I am captivated by the clouds in our ever-changing sky. No impressive credentials, no list of meaningful letters trailing after my name, this is merely me, just another weather junky having my say about it all.
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022-SW Michigan-Looking At A 40-Degree Week Ahead

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022-SW Michigan-Looking At A 40-Degree Week Ahead

Currently 30 with a calm wind from the East. Feels like 18 degrees. Dew Point 27, Humidity 88%, Barometer 30.1, Visibility 10 mi., Sunrise 7:43 am, Sunset 5:13 pm.

Mostly sunny this morning becoming partly sunny in the afternoon. High in the upper 30s. Light winds becoming SW 5-10 mph with gusts to around 20 in the afternoon.

Partly cloudy overnight with a low in the mid 20s. Chance of some freezing fog. Light winds.

Going to be cold tonight but look forward to 40-degree days and most nights in the 30s or at least upper 20s. Hard to imagine after this past week, isn’t it? But very welcome for most of us. Looks like the rain has been removed from Thanksgiving Day and inserted into the nighttime hours for the holiday. Fingers crossed that will come about. Weather is looking good going forward. At least for a while.

Monday, Nov. 21, 2022-SW Michigan-Better Week On The Way

Monday, Nov. 21, 2022-SW Michigan-Better Week On The Way

Currently 30 with an average wind from the S of 6 mph. Feels like 26 degrees. Dew Point 24, Humidity 76%, Barometer 29.9, Visibility 10 mi., Sunrise 7:42 am, Sunset 5:13 pm.

Mostly sunny with a high in the upper 30s. SW winds 15-20 becoming W 10-15 mph with gusts to 30.

Partly cloudy with a low in the 15-20. Light winds.

Not today and not tomorrow but the rest of the week our temperatures will be in the 40s. After what we just went through, we sort of deserve something a bit more comfortable, don’t we?  Might get some precipitation on Thanksgiving Day but if we do it will be rain and not snow. We can cope with that. We may get more snow this winter than we have in the past handful of winters, but keep in mind, this last system was due to very cold air coming down from the north over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes. The lakes will cool down and hopefully we won’t be getting any blasts of really cold air taking aim at us for a while. More than likely the snow we get over the next few months will be just that – snow – and although Lake Effect enters our picture off and on, this last mess was both early, excessive, and unusual.  So, bottom line, this season’s snowfall may end up a lot, maybe not. All we can do is keep bundled up, our shovels at the ready, wait it out and see what develops.  As usual.

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022-SW Michigan-A Bit Of Sunshine

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022-SW Michigan-A Bit Of Sunshine

Currently 24 with an average wind from the SSW of 5 mph. Feels like 15 degrees. Dew Point 18, Humidity 79%, Barometer 30.18, Visibility 9 mi., Sunrise 7:40 am, Sunset 5:14 pm.

Mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of snow showers. High in the upper 20s. W winds 5-15 mph with gusts to 25.

Partly cloudy with a low in the 20s. SW winds 10=15 mph with gusts to 30.

Finally, the snow has stopped. We may get a bit of a snow shower today, but the next 2 or 3 days we should have some partly sunny skies. Thanksgiving Day may bring us some rain. And there’s a fair chance of some frozen mix for a few days thereafter, but for the most part, we seem to be past our ugly early winter stuff. Goodness knows we got plenty. I measured about 17″ in my little backyard. I know, nothing like what they have to deal with on the other side of Lake Erie, but enough to make us sit up and take notice.

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022-SW Michigan-And The Snow Just Keeps On Coming

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022-SW Michigan-And The Snow Just Keeps On Coming

Currently 18 with an average wind from the SSE of 9 mph. Feels like 6 degrees. Dew Point 18, Humidity 97%, Barometer 29.8, Visibility 6 mi., Sunrise 7:39 am, Sunset 5:15 pm.

100% chance of snow with patchy blowing snow. 3-5″ possible. High in the upper 20s. SW winds 15-20 mph with gusts to 35.

100% chance of overnight snow. 1-4″ possible. Low near 15. NW winds 10-20 with gusts to 35 decreasing to 25.

Not only are we dealing with an outrageous amount of Lake Effect Snow, but it’s cold and going to get colder. Tomorrow will be feeling more like January than mid-November. The wind is going to kick up which will add to the misery. If you are out and about driving, do be cautious. I have 13″ of snow in my little back yard and it’s possible we could end up with another 10″ by the time this winds down. Not exactly the week before Thanksgiving weather, but here it is, anyway. Be careful shoveling, driving…just being. This is definitely winter weather.

Friday, Nov. 18, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Keep Accumulating

Friday, Nov. 18, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Keep Accumulating

Currently 26 with an average wind from the SSW of 3 mph. Feels like 22 degrees. Dew Point 26, Humidity 100%, Barometer 29.88, Visibility 0.42 mi., Sunrise 7:38 am, Sunset 5:16 pm.

90% chance of snow. 1-3″ expected. High round 30. W winds 10-20 mph with gusts to 30.

80% chance of snow. 1-2″ expected. Low in the lower 20s. W winds 10-15 mph with gusts to 30.

Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if they extend our Winter Storm Warning on to Sunday morning rather than having it end on Saturday morning. Looks to me like we’re going to get more snow on Saturday than we are today. I have 9″ of snow already in my little backyard with more to come. It’s not bitter cold, so it could be worse, but roads aren’t terrific for traveling. Slowing down and being careful is the key for a safe route to work or wherever one is heading. And be careful shoveling that snow, too. I cleared a path out to where I feed the birds and critters and cleared a large square to spread the seed and peanuts, being careful and doing more pushing than lifting as much as possible. Wish I could say that’s the last time I’ll have to do that but alas…pretty sure that wouldn’t be the way of things. Anyway, do be cautious out there. Been a while since our area has seen a snowfall like this. I kept predicting we’d be getting more snow this year than usual – but I sure didn’t mean it would be dumping on us all at once. LOL

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022-SW Michigan-Winter Storm Warning Until Sat. Morning

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022-SW Michigan-Winter Storm Warning Until Sat. Morning

Currently 31 with an average wind from the SSE of 2 mph. Feels like 31 degrees. Dew Point 31, Humidity 100%, Barometer 29.93, Visibility 1 mil, Sunrise 7:37 am, Sunset 5:16 pm.

WINTER STORM WARNING until Saturday morning. A possible 6-12″ of snow.

90% chance of snow today. 2-4″ possible. High in the mid 30s. SW winds 5-15 mph with gusts to 30.

90% chance of snow. 1-3″ possible. Low in the mid 20s. W winds 10-15 mph with gusts to 30.

Been snowing since I woke up this morning and seems determined to continue. The wind isn’t whipping it about. It’s a rather soft looking snow – but continuous. It will be interesting to see what we do end up with by the end of this weekend. With Lake Effect Snow it’s very difficult to predict exact numbers. Could be less than they figure – or more. Lots mores. It’s amazing that with less than 100 miles between my little back yard and Lake Michigan such a vast difference in snowfall can happen. Right along the lake shores they are almost always buried under much more snow than what we get here. But…in saying that, we still have to acknowledge that we’re well within the Lake Effect zone. Plenty of cold air set to swoop over the Great Lakes area and as it moves over the fairly warm – 40-50 degree – water of the lakes, this is going to produce lots of snow right on through this weekend. Lots of it. In this case, from this particular storm system, we could easily end up with a foot of snow. And it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see more than that. Like I said, very difficult to exactly predict these things. I’m sure this makes some folks happy, but I’m not among that group. Personally, I’m lucky enough to be able to stay inside and hibernate for the duration. And I most certainly shall.

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022-SW Michigan-Lake Effect Snow To Hang Around

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022-SW Michigan-Lake Effect Snow To Hang Around

Currently 30 with an average wind from the SW of 1 mph. Feels like 30 degrees. Dew Point 30, Humidity 100%, Barometer 29.55, Visibility 6 mi., Sunrise 7:35 am, Sunset 5:17 pm.

Cloudy today with a 50% chance for snow showers. High in the mid 30s. Light winds.

Mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of overnight snow. Low in the mid 20s. NW winds 5-10 mph becoming W overnight.

With our Great Lakes fairly warm still – 40/50 degrees – our old friend Lake Effect Snow is a given when a proper system rolls through. A situation we have in place right now. And will have right on to Sunday. No telling, not really, how much snow will result in various areas, as is the case always with Lake Effect Snow. Some will get a lot, some won’t, but all will be getting some. Hang in there, though, because about mid-week next week, we should be seeing a few days with temperatures back up into the 40s. That will, by the time that comes around, seem fairly balmy.

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Showers For Days Coming Our Way

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Showers For Days Coming Our Way

Currently 28 with an average wind from the N of 6 mph. Feels like 21 degrees. Dew Point 28, Humidity 100%, Barometer 30.18, Visibility 0.25 mi., Sunrise 7:34 am, Sunset 5:18 pm.

100% chance of snow showers. 1-3″ possible. High in the mid 30s. NE winds 5-15 mph.

100% chance of snow showers. 1-3″ possible. Low in the upper 20s. NE winds 5-15 mph with gusts to 25 becoming N 5-10 overnight.

Looks like the chance for lake effect snow showers right on through Saturday. Funny thing with lake effect snow showers – it can very often fool forecasters and end up becoming a bigger problem than predicted. I guess we’ll find out about this system by the time it winds up and moves on. At any rate, this week will bring us our first batch of measurable snow. Like it or not here it comes.

Monday, Nov. 14, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Starting Tomorrow

Monday, Nov. 14, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Starting Tomorrow

Currently 34 with an average wind from the SE of 1 mph. Feels like 34 degrees. Dew Point 25, Humidity 68%, Barometer 30.27, Visibility 10 mi., Sunrise 7:33 am, Sunset 5:19 pm.

Mostly cloudy with a high in the upper 30s. Light winds.

Partly cloudy in the evening becoming cloudy. Low in the lower 20s. E winds 50-10 mph.

Today, as unappealing as it is, seems to be the best day of the week. Starting tomorrow it looks like a good chance of snow all the way to Saturday. I’d look for some accumulation at some point. Alas, it looks like winter is upon us.

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Showers Coming Mid Week

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022-SW Michigan-Snow Showers Coming Mid Week

Currently with a temperature of 32 with an average wind from the WNW of 5 mph. Feels like 24 degrees. Dew Point 28, Humidity 84%, Barometer 30.1, Visibility 10 mi., Sunrise 7;32 am, Sunset 5:20 pm.

Partly cloudy with a 40% chance of snow showers until midday then becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon. High in the upper 30s. NW winds 5-10 mph.

Partly cloudy with a low in the mid 20s. Light winds.

Look for some snow from Tuesday right on through next Saturday. Some sunshine today and tomorrow and that will be about it for the week. Chilly with snow showers coming our way. Not a pleasant week ahead far as I can tell. Enjoy this afternoon.