Temperatures over the past week across all of Northern Michigan have been quite chilly, even by early February standards, but a substantial warming trend is set to take place this weekend, with the heart of the warmer air arriving mid/late next week.
Earlier this week, we had a few locations (Raber in Chippewa County and Moorestown in Missaukee County) hit the -20F mark. The basic setup this month has been for a large ridge across the western U.S. with a deep trough across the Upper Great Lakes. That pattern allows cold arctic air to spill into the Great Lakes region, and is certainly pretty common in the depths of winter. However, that ridge out west is going to get shoved in our direction allowing mild Pacific air from the western states to flow across the Great Lakes.
Two weather systems will bring some snow to the area initially, the first Friday evening, the second later Saturday night into Sunday. Temperatures will slowly climb with highs Saturday near 30F and by Sunday, temperatures will reach into the 30’s. As mentioned, some light snow or even snow/drizzle on Sunday are forecasted with accumulation in spots. After a brief shot of cooler temperatures Monday, warm air will surge across Northern Michigan Tuesday through Friday of next week leading to a pretty decent thaw/melting of the snowpack. Many locations will exceed the 40F mark by Wednesday, with some spots perhaps well into the 40’s. That warmer airmass over the cold snowpack will lead to areas of fog/drizzle. Beyond that, there are indications of some type of storm system potentially arriving next weekend.
So, do you look forward to a big warm up across Northern Michigan, or do you prefer the colder type of winter? Share your thoughts.
