That Summertime Vibe…

Summertime by Charles Bonham

This pic of a kid deep in his vibes in Leland’s Fishtown from a decade ago is one of my all-time favorite photos. It’s also kind of perfect for news from mLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa that Michigan (well southern Michigan at least) might hit 70 degrees multiple times next week! Mark offers the caveat that the problem with temperature forecasts in Michigan in April & May is that even light north winds can work with Lake Michigan or Huron to push cold air down the lake. Pretty cool article – check it out at mLive.

See more in Charles’s Funky Photos and/or Leland/MI Fishtown galleries on Flickr!

Warm Wet Winter on tap for Michigan

Water Street During an Ice Storm by Mike McManaman

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued their 2021-2022 winter weather outlook for the US. The NOAA Winter Outlook covers December 2021 through February 2022 and notes that with the La Nina weather pattern, Michigan & the Great Lakes are expected to see warmer & wetter than average conditions. Head over to NOAA for more including weather maps.

Mike took this photo on Flint’s Water Street after an ice storm back on Christmas Eve 2014. See more in his Flint, Michigan gallery on Flickr. 

Riders on the Great Lakes Storm

via leelanau.com…

Riders on the Storm by Mark Smith

Here’s a simply stunning shot by Mark Smith of a stormfront rolling over the Manitou Islands. Follow Mark on Instagram @downstreamer7 for more & view & purchase his work at Leelanau Landscapes Photography.

November 2020 Heatwave

Last night at a lake near you by Gary Syrba

If you live in Michigan, you probably enjoyed a pretty nice weekend! WOOD-TV Grand Rapids reports that record highs fell in Kalamazoo (75°), Grand Rapids (74°), Lansing (75°) and Muskegon (74°). The other locations on the map don’t have record data. Click on Detroit adds that Detroit toppled the previous November 7th record of 70 from 2016 with a high of 71. Daily records were also set at Traverse City (76°), Pellston (73°) and Gaylord (71°). 

Gary took this photo at Grand Haven. No word as to whether or not their high of 76 was a record, but guessing it was close! Head over to Gary’s Flickr for more! 

 

La Niña is coming for a winter visit

Ice Cave Sunset by Heather Higham

mLive reports that a La Niña weather system has officially developed & is likely to continue through winter:

La Niña is when the equatorial Pacific waters turn cooler than normal. If the cooler than normal water continues into the northern hemisphere winter, there can be some alteration to normal jetstream patterns.

…an average jetstream position south of Michigan with the center of an upper-level through over the Great Lakes brings an area of wetter than normal conditions to the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes. This area of wetter weather includes the southern part of Michigan.

So in looking at the general effects of La Niña on Michigan’s winter, we have in the past leaned toward colder than normal with some increase in snow amounts.

…Lower Michigan as averaging four to 12 inches above normal on snowfall during La Niña winters. The western half of the U.P. also shows a slightly above normal snowfall pattern during La Niña. The lake-effect snowbelts of northwest and southwest Lower don’t show an increase in snow, but do show normal amounts. Normal amounts of snow in the snowbelts is plenty of snow for snow-lovers.

More at mLive.

Heather took this shot of an ice formation on Lake Michigan at Elk Rapids back in January of 2015. See more in her ice formations gallery & definitely follow Heather on Facebook & @SnapHappyMichigan on Instagram!

More ice caves on Michigan in Pictures! <–trust me – some more awesome pics there!

Sunset Waterspout

Sunset Waterspout, photo by Kyler Phillips

The National Weather Service in Gaylord has a page on the Science of Waterspouts that says in part:

Dr. Joseph Golden, a distinguished waterspout authority with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), defines the waterspout as a “funnel which contains an intense vortex, sometimes destructive, of small horizontal extent and which occurs over a body of water.” The belief that a waterspout is nothing more than a tornado over water is only partially true. The fact is, depending on how they form, waterspouts come in two types: tornadic and fair weather.

Tornadic waterspouts generally begin as true tornadoes over land in association with a thunderstorm, and then move out over the water. They can be large and are capable of considerable destruction. Fair weather waterspouts, on the other hand, form only over open water. They develop at the surface of the water and climb skyward in association with warm water temperatures and high humidity in the lowest several thousand feet of the atmosphere. They are usually small, relatively brief, and less dangerous. The fair weather variety of waterspout is much more common than the tornadic.

Waterspouts occur most frequently in northern Michigan during the months of August, September, and October, when the waters of the Great Lakes are near their warmest levels of the year. Waterspout formation typically occurs when cold air moves across the Great Lakes and results in large temperature differences between the warm water and the overriding cold air. They tend to last from about two to twenty minutes, and move along at speeds of 10 to 15 knots.

Kyler caught this spout when checking out the storm front last Monday evening. View the photo bigger and follow Kyler on Instagram at KingKPhil.

April 16-22 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan

Storm’s Coming, photo by Tom Hughes Photo

This week (April 16-22) is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan. mLive reports:

The Michigan State Police are asking residents to take part in a voluntary statewide tornado drill as part of the state’s Severe Weather Awareness Week. The drill is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 19. Gov. Rick Snyder had declared Michigan’s Severe Weather Awareness Week from April 16-22. If severe weather occurs on April 19, the statewide tornado drill will be rescheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday, April 20.

Nearly all state of Michigan facilities are expected to participate, and businesses, organizations and individual residents and their families are encouraged to join in as well.

 

“Tornadoes can develop rapidly, with little or no warning,” said Capt. Chris A. Kelenske, Deputy State Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and commander of the MSP/EMHSD. “Due to their unpredictable nature, we must be ready well in advance. We’re asking residents and businesses to take a few extra steps during the week to ensure they’re prepared.”

Tornadoes are especially prevalent in late spring and early summer, and the average lead time for tornadoes to develop is 10 to 15 minutes. In the event of a tornado, state officials recommend residents find the lowest place to take cover, take shelter under something sturdy, stay tuned to local weather broadcasts and watch for signs of a tornado, including dark skies, large hail, a large low-lying cloud and a loud roar.

Tom caught this spring storm rolling through last week at the Springfield Oaks Ellis Barn. View it bigger, see more in his Thunderstorms slideshow, and view & purchase work at Tom Hughes Photo.

More wild weather on Michigan in Pictures!

 

 

Fahrenheit Freakout

Fahrenheit, photo by Eric

WILX-Lansing says that temperatures are expected to climb to the upper 60s to near 70 degrees today in Lansing and Jackson where the record high temperature today for both is 69 degrees. According to the forecast from the Weather Underground, Detroit will also flirt with today’s record high of 70 set on November 18, 1953. If you’re curious, you can head over to Wunderground’s history page and enter your city or town.

And of course we are headed for yet another global record high temperature in 2016.

View Eric’s photo bigger and see more in his Belle Isle slideshow.

More Michigan weather on Michigan in Pictures.

 

 

The Vortex: Roll cloud over Lake Michigan

The Vortex, photo by Nick Nerbonne

My corner of Northern Michigan was all abuzz last weekend due to a relatively rare meteorological phenomenon known as a “roll cloud.” Wikipedia’s entry on Arcus clouds explains:

An arcus cloud is a low, horizontal cloud formation. Roll clouds and shelf clouds are the two types of arcus clouds. A shelf cloud is usually associated with the leading edge of thunderstorm outflow; roll clouds are usually formed by outflows of cold air from sea breezes or cold fronts in the absence of thunderstorms.

…A roll cloud is a low, horizontal, tube-shaped, and relatively rare type of arcus cloud. They differ from shelf clouds by being completely detached from other cloud features. Roll clouds usually appear to be “rolling” about a horizontal axis. They are a solitary wave called a soliton, which is a wave that has a single crest and moves without changing speed or shape.

View Nick’s photo background big, scroll through his pictures on Facebook, and watch this time-lapse of the cloud…

Double Rainbow

Double Rainbow, photo by Your Hometown Photography 

I simply love Atmospheric Optics for nearly everything about lights in the sky. Regarding secondary rainbows or “double rainbows” they say that the secondary is nearly always fainter than the primary, with colors reversed and more widely separated:

Light can be reflected more than once inside a raindrop. Rays escaping after two reflections make a secondary bow.

The secondary has a radius of 51º and lies some 9º outside the primary bow. It is broader, 1.8X the width of the primary, and its colours are reversed so that the reds of the two bows always face one another. The secondary has 43% of the total brightness of the primary but its surface brightness is lower than that because its light is spread over its greater angular extent. The primary and secondary are are concentric, sharing the antisolar point for a center.

About this particular rainbow from April 2, 2016, Gerry writes: “Double rainbow from the other night after the storms. The weather in Michigan can change quickly, from rainbows to snow. Yep, that’s Michigan.” 

Indeed. View her photo bigger and follow Your Hometown Photography on Facebook for more.

More rainbows on Michigan in Pictures.