(WWJ) - Skiers, snowmobilers, ice skaters and more are left out in the cold -- or warmth rather -- as winter continues to elude Michigan and season high temperatures make the record books in both peninsulas.
"Very, very strange winter," WWJ's Greg Bowman reported on Friday morning. "In fact, there's no snow anywhere in Michigan, even in the U.P."
Instead of snow boots and shovels, Michiganders have been breaking out the umbrellas and rain boots as the end of the year comes to a close. Mild, dreary and foggy weather has plagued most of the state for weeks -- and this month is going down in the history books as one of the hottest Decembers.
Ever.
"The National Weather Service says we've recorded only one tenth of an inch of snow in Southeast Michigan with an average temp of 40.1 degrees, making it the third warmest December ever on record," Bowman said.
NWS Meteorologist Brian Cromwell said it isn't just Metro Detroit that has experienced the warm spell -- the NWS post in Grand Rapids said they're sitting at the second warmest December on record behind only 2015 and the Gaylord post is also reporting their second warmest December, also behind 2015.
AccuWeather
NWS office in Marquette said temperatures this month are at an all-time high.
"Three temperature records were set at the Marquette NWS office [on Christmas], making this the all time warmest Christmas on record here: 1) a daily record high of 47 broke the previous record of 46 set in 1994; 2) a daily record warm low of 42 broke the previous record of 31 set in 2019; and 3) the warm low yesterday also broke the previous all time December warm low of 41 set on December 2, 1982."
Records for the Marquette National Weather Service office date back to 1961, the NWS added.
Cromwell explained that the average temperature in the U.P. for December 2023 has been 30.4 degrees, a high that Bowman described as "downright tropical in Escanaba."
As reported by AccuWeather meteorologists, reports from almost all the lower 48 states experienced temperatures above the historical average for the month, which they say is quite rare.
AccuWeather
"Arctic air has been on the move this month, but mainly on the other side of the globe, in Siberia," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
"A temperature departure of a degree or two above or below average for an entire month is not unusual. Nor is a temperature departure of 5-10 degrees for a day or two," experts explained. "It becomes more unusual to the extreme as these approximate 30-day averages increase beyond a couple of degrees."
Cromwell said the NWS isn't really expecting things to change dramatically to due a strong El Niño this winter. Although we still could see cold weather and snow return to the state, there's nothing truly of note in the long range forecast right now.
