For Metro-Detroiters, this week has consisted of above-normal temperatures this week. This won’t be lasting long, as a very cold surge of air is headed our way and will make its way into the city by the end of the week.
There was warmer air that was present on Monday and Tuesday, but that will definitely be short lived as the temperatures plummet into the upper 30’s on Thursday, accompanied by a chance of a few light snow showers. The average for this time of year in Metro Detroit is in the upper 40’s, so we are definitely below average for this time of year so far.
The reason that this is occurring so early in the season is partly due to the polar vortex. This is a cold swath of air that usually stays above the United States, but can sometimes move down when it collides with a warmer jet stream. The polar vortex is expected to slip south through the course of the week, which makes room for the freezing air to move throughout the United States.
If you are a resident of the Metro Detroit area and have planned activities outside this weekend, you may want to dress for winter conditions. It will feel like winter time for the next several days, with low temperatures. Because there will be a lot of cloud cover and breezy conditions, it will make the cold temperatures feel even colder. The highs for this week into next week could be as many as 15 degrees below the normal average, and there will be many chances for snow showers to pop up.
Even though we have been dealing with cold weather and light snow, residents of the Lower Peninsula should be thankful that they don’t live further north this week. Some parts of the Upper Peninsula have received as much as three feet of snow this week, with some more on the way.
On Wednesday morning, 36.1 inches of snow was recorded in Marquette County near Negaunee. Also, up to 2 feet fell in other parts of the Upper Peninsula with lower totals along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
A college in the Upper Peninsula, Northern Michigan University, has closed its doors two days in a row because of inclement weather circumstances. A meteorologist with the weather sources up north says that the large system that brought them all of this snow has moved out of the area, but there is still lake-effect snow to take in account, and that could dump about 8-15 more inches in the U.P. this weekend. The driving conditions have been absolutely awful through all of this.
As for the Lower Peninsula, lake-effect snow very much possible along Lake Michigan with 5-9 inches in the forecast for some cities along the coastline on Thursday and Friday. For more information on the forecast in your area, check your local news authority or The Weather Channel!
