AccuWeater, Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, says about the upcoming winter, “It's going to start fast. By the Thanksgiving holiday, we're going to see pretty good lake effect kick in, and it probably doesn't end through the Christmas holiday.” Well for anyone who lives there (or has ever lived there), isn’t this what always happens? Don’t you expect it to be cold and snowy between Thanksgiving and Christmas? …and then everyone understands that it will not end until sometime around Easter!
Somehow this year they say the winter “is going to be an exceptional one.” “Michiganders are going to need to get their snow shovels ready early, ‘cause they’re going to need them for the harsh winter being forecasted for much of lower Michigan, the entire Great Lakes, and especially Chicago.” In fact, according to AccuWeater.com, “People in Chicago are going to want to move after this winter as snow and cold will be unusually harsh there, this year!” I think these weather forecasters underestimate the people who live in the “Windy City”, or any place else in the Midwest, for that matter. They are used to experiencing the harsh winds off Lake Michigan and cold and snowy winters!
Pastelok is predicting that Michigan’s southwest corner, and up to Traverse City, should prepare for early season snow, fueled by cold northwest winds crossing warm Lake Michigan waters. “The thing with Michigan is that there’s going to be three types of systems, clipper style, lake effect and then late-in-the-season storms, all adding up to extra snow.” He adds, “Great Lakes snow buildup could act to prolong the colder-than-normal weather beyond February and into early spring.” The National Weather Service (NWS) says, “Stay tuned!” Their predictions are due out in mid-October. They tell us that we are in a “La Niña” weather pattern. La Niña is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon where cooler-than-average Pacific Ocean temperatures influence global weather patterns. It typically occurs every three to five years, they say.
So, where does this leave me? I feel like Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn! (…unless I have to make a last minute trip back to Michigan this winter!)" But, really, we’re just getting over the hottest summer on record in Phoenix of over 110 degree days, so I’m looking forward to a cool down. The difference is I do not have to shovel any sunshine in the winter! Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot!
If it gets too cold for my friends back in Michigan this winter; come on out to Arizona for a warm up. It’s quite pleasant all winter long!
Weather graphics courtesy AccuWeather.com
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