[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Luzette

Maybe that was it, Darstar. I wonder if it's the angle you guys in the UP are at causing the intense sun. It's curious whatever the reason.

I'm at 43.5N latitude in NH and the sun is really intense in the winter due to the very clear air and low sun angle. It makes walking or driving difficult even with shades on due to the intensity. However, I much prefer northern sunlight to that of the South. I visited a family member in Tulsa, OK last May and i was only outside ten minutes before I got burned by the sun. The solar declination angle is much more direct in the southern tier of the US and that is partly why the seasons there are more muted. The more direct sun angle warms things up more quickly there even in winter. Just my thoughts as a hobbyist who studies meteorology and climatology

[darstar]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I'm at 43.5N latitude in NH and the sun is really intense in the winter due to the very clear air and low sun angle. It makes walking or driving difficult even with shades on due to the intensity. However, I much prefer northern sunlight to that of the South. I visited a family member in Tulsa, OK last May and i was only outside ten minutes before I got burned by the sun. The solar declination angle is much more direct in the southern tier of the US and that is partly why the seasons there are more muted. The more direct sun angle warms things up more quickly there even in winter. Just my thoughts as a hobbyist who studies meteorology and climatology

We suspected the intensity of the sun in winter ( and summer) was due to the angle at our latitude What we don't usually have is humidity, its very dry here, yet, we get record snowfalls, This season, so far was average with 170 inches, Lighter than that last year. I was talking this afternoon to a person at Starbucks who moved here in about 2,000. She said they got 576 inches, thats a lot. I have only seen 310 inches 2 -3 years ago.. That was enough for me.!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by darstar

We suspected the intensity of the sun in winter ( and summer) was due to the angle at our latitude What we don't usually have is humidity, its very dry here, yet, we get record snowfalls, This season, so far was average with 170 inches, Lighter than that last year. I was talking this afternoon to a person at Starbucks who moved here in about 2,000. She said they got 576 inches, thats a lot. I have only seen 310 inches 2 -3 years ago.. That was enough for me.!

The most I've seen is 120 inches with no large body of water even remotely close by unless you count the Atlantic Ocean 45 minutes away.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

The most I've seen is 120 inches with no large body of water even remotely close by unless you count the Atlantic Ocean 45 minutes away.

We owe a good part of our snowfall to lake effect.which comes in to us in a hook pattern from the east/ north east. At 1300 feet here the snow is like powder , it loops around a bay in Lake Superior goes south over flat country then turnes back to us and heads west thru all the higher elevations up to 1700 feet.they call this the "snow belt". We get our weather directly from northern Canada, above 60. The snow part forms out over this huge body of water.In the city center they always get less at a lower elevation. We are 4 miles south of Marquette, 3 miles down range from the lake. It's an interesting hobby to watch it happen, as the SE local of our house is all glass. The lake is at 670 ft. elevation. I am looking for a high powered set of binoculars on a tripod, the view begs for such observation.

[michsnowlvr]

Originally Posted by michmoldman

All things equal out...enjoy it (or not) while you can. Next year at this time we may have 12" of snow and -20 temps.

Agree. Just look at last year...we (SE MI) had bitterly cold winter, much heavier, deeper, and longer lasting snow than normal...and a late spring (neighborhood magnolias were blooming late April into early May...they are now blooming late march!). We couldnt buy an above normal temperature, just like now we cant buy a below normal one. Weather patterns certainly do even themselves out. As someone else mentioned, best hope if to not see a total catastrophe with the early blooms. The statistical probability of a hard freeze in SE MI is 90% in April. Im pretty sure you can guess what that percentage is in the northern part of the state.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by michsnowlvr

Agree. Just look at last year...we (SE MI) had bitterly cold winter, much heavier, deeper, and longer lasting snow than normal...and a late spring (neighborhood magnolias were blooming late April into early May...they are now blooming late march!). We couldnt buy an above normal temperature, just like now we cant buy a below normal one. Weather patterns certainly do even themselves out. As someone else mentioned, best hope if to not see a total catastrophe with the early blooms. The statistical probability of a hard freeze in SE MI is 90% in April. Im pretty sure you can guess what that percentage is in the northern part of the state.

What you say, is weather is forever changing. We all know that.What is different is when there 50-60 degree differences for long periods of time, including broken records, ever day. What I am talking about is the extremes in weather that go that extra mile, enough to really make the Weather Channel. If you follow the channel for very long it's like watching grass grow.
They know that now. In the past it was weather plain and simple, now they have varied programing. The problem for us is, we get frustread trying to just find out our info that we are looking for. I no longer use them . I go to weather under ground for what I want to know, plain an simple.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by darstar

What you say, is weather is forever changing. We all know that.What is different is when there 50-60 degree differences for long periods of time, including broken records, ever day. What I am talking about is the extremes in weather that go that extra mile, enough to really make the Weather Channel. If you follow the channel for very long it's like watching grass grow.
They know that now. In the past it was weather plain and simple, now they have varied programing. The problem for us is, we get frustread trying to just find out our info that we are looking for. I no longer use them . I go to weather under ground for what I want to know, plain an simple.

You know its extreme weather when you can go outside without a shirt in March... at 4:00 am... and be perfectly comfortable. I did that today. I will remember this March for the rest of my life.

[Nephler]

I gave up on Weather Channel long ago, they just never seemed to be very accurate, not for the areas I've lived anyway. I to have been using Weather Underground and of course NOAA. I enjoy reading the Scientific Forecaster Discussion from NOAA just about every morning and evening.

[darstar]

These extremes in weather can some times change life as we have know it. That's real news. Examples are the dust bowl in the 30s, which moved demographics forever . Others are massive class 5 Hurricanes, winter storms That are so severe they change the way we operate also forever , like the 1887 ? storm in the west that broke up all the small cattle ranches. Then there were floods, tornado events that change towns to the point they are blown away forever, to the way we build buildings, also same goes for extreme earthquakes. I think included is climate change where animal life disappears in vast numbers to people ether moving in or out just because of the extreme weather. Sometimes smaller things, like the way we grow crops to massive installs of generators and AC systems where before their few in a given area. These are the extremes that change the way we live, what we eat, and how we build new structures, dams, and river coarses.

[michigan83]

Interesting blog comparing the heat wave here to the cold spell in Alaska. Apparently there are places in Alaska that are farther below average for March than we are above average. Crazy!

Michigan Heat vs. Alaska Cold | WOODTV.com Blogs