Grab the Sun Block, March Begins Bright and Warm

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In Like A Lamb
Grab the Sun Block, March Begins Bright and Warm
By Jim Akans

“Here Comes the Sun,” George Harrison enthusiastically proclaims in the 1969 Beatles classic.  The bright and cheerful tune captures the undeniable feeling of hope and joy that washes the spirit with warmth as the first inklings of the coming spring take hold here in the north.

With “plenty of sunshine heading our way,” and temperatures nudging the forty degree mark the first week of March, it would appear the journey toward spring has come in like a lamb.  

Does that mean we will face the dreaded “lion” as the month begins to ebb?

“There are signs that we may soon be seeing a shift in the weather pattern,” observes meteorologist, Jim Keysor of the National Weather Service office near Gaylord.  “This winter, we experienced a combination of an El Nino pattern, which typically produces drier and less active winters, and we also had an unusual blocking pattern in the North Atlantic, preventing weather from easily tracking from west to east as it normally would, so our weather here was actually quite stable.”

That stability has been a good thing, allowing a rather meager amount of snowfall over the winter remain in place, much to the delight of winter sports enthusiasts visiting the area, and a northern  economy that heartily welcomes them.  

Over the next few weeks, however, there are indications that the “blocking effect” which has kept the precipitation low and temperatures steady may diminish.

“There are signs that we will begin to see a more active  weather pattern by mid March,” notes Jim Keysor,  “The blocking pattern will weaken a bit, at least temporarily, potentially allowing precipitation and storms to become more prevalent.”

Whether that means rain or snow, only the thermometer knows for sure.  

Any form of moisture, however, is something we will benefit from. At just under seventy-five inches, the Gaylord area may be heading for only its fourth winter in the past sixty years to clock in at less than one-hundred inches of snowfall.  The Cheboygan area, at just over forty-one inches of snow so far this season, is nearly three feet below normal.  Charlevoix’s has had just over seventy-two inches of snowfall, about two feet below normal, yet Traverse City is just ten inches below normal.

“There has been a fair amount of lake-effect snowfall near the Lake Michigan shoreline,” Jim Keysor states.  “But for most of northern Michigan, this could easily be one of the top five least snowy winters on record.”

Less snow on the ground translates into a shorter melting period as spring arrives, an earlier rendezvous with the lawnmower, but it also means less moisture seeping into the ground.

“At this point it does look like temperatures will be above normal, with less precipitation than normal for the spring,” observes Jim Keysor. “And while we may be able to get outside earlier and enjoy those milder temperatures, the potential for dryness is the biggest concern.”

Low moisture levels are not a good thing for spring planting and fire danger season.

So perhaps we should welcome the tame beginnings to month of March, and look forward to the lion’s roar of a good storm, accompanied by a healthy dose of precipitation, frozen or liquid, as we move closer to April.   

In the meantime, sing it George… “it seems like years since it’s been clear…Here Comes the Sun!”

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Become an Official Storm Spotter
National Weather Service Offers Training Sessions at Several Locations

In a typical year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, and over 1,000 tornadoes touch down across the United States.  That’s a whole lot of bad weather.  Accurate, early warning of the approach of such dangerous storms can make a huge difference in protecting life and property.

Part of that front line defense is the growing network of National Weather Service Skywarn Storm Spotters. Storm spotters are volunteer citizens of nearly every age who help their community and NOAA's National Weather Service by keeping an "eye on the sky" during severe weather.  Spotters contact the NWS via the telephone, amateur radio, or the internet, keeping the staff updated with the latest weather information from their specific location.  

During the next several weeks, the National Weather Service Office located near Gaylord will be conducting free, Skywarn Spotter training classes at several northern Michigan locations.  

“The free classes are about one and half hours long,” notes meteorologist Jim Keysor, “ are open to public, and provide all the educational tools someone needs to become weather spotter, such as the science of storms, cloud formation, and how to make reports to weather service.   We currently have about 1,500 active spotters in our data base, and encourage anyone interested in becoming a spotter to attend one of these classes.”

Upcoming Skywarn Spotter Class Locations and Times;

March
4th - Alpena, 6:30pm, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary - 500 West Fletcher St.

11th - Bellaire, 6:30pm,  Antrim County Building, 205 East Cayuga Street (2nd floor)

16th - Charlevoix, 6:00pm, Charlevoix  Library, Meeting Room A, 220 W. Clinton St.

23rd - Petoskey, 7:00pm, North Central Michigan College, Conference 4 (Student Center/Conference Center), 1515 Howard Street

25th - Atlanta, 7:00pm, Montmorency County Courthouse - West Entrance, 12265 M-32



April
13th - Kalkaska, 7:00pm, Coldsprings Excelsior Fire and Rescue, 6565 County Road 612 NE (10 miles northeast of Kalkaska)

27th - Grayling, 6:30pm, Grayling City Hall, North Down River Rd (Exit 256 from I-75)

29th - Mio, 6:30pm, Oscoda County Conference Room, Court Street

For class locations not in our coverage area, or additional information, visit www.noaa.gov or call the NWS Gaylord - (989) 731-3384

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