Snow Amounts
NORTHERN MICHIGAN -- As a meteorologist, the question I have been asked a lot of lately is how much snow various areas/counties have tallied so far this winter season. For many people, this winter has seemed unusually harsh by comparison to recent winters, and to an extent that is true. I unearthed the snow totals for the five official climate sites that the National Weather Service has a database for, and they are listed below. Before I get to that, I want to point out that snow measurements are not able to be registered by the automated equipment at airports. It still takes a human being going out each morning/evening and measuring with a stick and then sending that information over which is then added up to give the numbers below.
THESE TOTALS ARE THROUGH FEBRUARY 20th, 2008....
GAYLORD: Normal-111.5"/Actual-133.2"/meaning +21.7" for the season
SAULT STE. MARIE: Normal-104.4"/Actual-106.6"/meaning +2.2" for the season
ALPENA: Normal-62.0"/Actual-67.2"/meaning +5.2" for the season
HOUGHTON LAKE: Normal-52.3"/Actual-68.4"/meaning +16.1" for the season
TRAVERSE CITY: Normal-78.8"/Actual-79.3"/meaning +0.5" for the season
To our southwest, Madison, Wisconsin is in the midst of their snowiest winter ever, while Rockford, Illinois is having their fourth snowiest winter in recorded history. Although snowfall totals across Northern Michigan seem close to if not a bit above average, I think it seems "worse" this winter to many people because of the wind that has accompanied many of the winter storms. We have also been pelted with freezing rain which will not show up in the snow totals, but certainly makes travel hazardous. -Meteorologist Joe Charlevoix
