Northern Michigan Recreation Weather

Weather Story 03-27-09

We are definitely past the time for winter sports, except maybe downhill skiing, which is controlled by the ski resorts. Check the ski conditions at the resorts with this link or over to the right. So if you are coming up for Spring Break, be prepared.

Otherwise, mud season is here in most places. There are patches of snow in the woods, so for the most part hiking won’t be great, unless you like a challenge.  Friends of mine are talking about stream fishing, and some areas are snow free along the banks. The rivers are ice free, but the lakes are still ice covered, however, the ice is thin and the shanties have come off the lakes.

The big story if you are coming up north is the storm this weekend. The storm will start on Saturday night and last into Sunday. There is a risk for significant snow with it, which won’t add much for doing anything this weekend, maybe if it came a little earlier. Here’s what the NWS Gaylord has to say in their hazardous weather outlook.

A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT THEN TRACK NORTH-NORTHEAST INTO LOWER MICHIGAN BY SUNDAY MORNING. DEPENDING ON THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM…A WIDE VARIETY OF PRECIPITATION TYPES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHERN MICHIGAN RANGING FROM HEAVY
SNOW TO RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN…STARTING SATURDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING INTO SUNDAY.

CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR ACROSS EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. TO THE EAST…PRECIPITATION MAY TRANSITION TO SNOW TO SLEET ACROSS THE CENTRAL COUNTIES OF NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN…TO RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN NEAR THE LAKE HURON COAST. AREAS THAT DO SEE ALL SNOW COULD SEE SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY EVENING.

CHANGES IN THE FORECAST TRACK WILL RESULT IN CHANGES IN EXPECTED PRECIPITATION TYPE AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. BE SURE TO STAY TUNED TO CURRENT FORECASTS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING LATE WINTER STORM.

This is the time of year that we really need a lot of cold air to come out of Canada, to keep the moisture in the form of snow. There is a risk for a real mixed bag of precipitaton and to bring everything to a screeching halt. Keep watching my Twitter/Plurk streams for upcoming details. I’ll try to keep the updates coming this weekend.

So what is the forecast for this weekend?

Friday night: Mostly cloudy. Lows 20-25. 

Saturday: Partly sunny. Highs upper 30s to lower 40s.  

Saturday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy. Lows mid to upper 20s.

Sunday: Snow likely. Cloudy. Highs mid to upper 30s.

With the temperatures on Sunday in the mid to upper 30s, the snow will probably be wet and heavy. Lots of slushy roads, so use caution.