Michigan temperatures to plunge leading up to Christmas: What it means for snow
A blast of bitter cold air is expected across North America just before Christmas, a sign that there could be a white Christmas in Michigan.
If that's what you're dreaming of.
Still, cold and snow are, after all, two things that Michiganders are familiar with.
In Michigan, National Weather Service in White Lake forecasted temperatures to plunge from the mid-40s on Thursday down to the 30s this weekend and then in the 20s leading up to Christmas, about 10 degrees below what is usually is this time of year.
But whether that qualifies as the "deep freeze" that the AccuWeather news is reporting will sweep across "the eastern two-thirds of the U.S." is debatable, weather service meteorologist Sara Schultz said. AccuWeather's forecasters are predicting the blast to come from Siberia, "one of the coldest locations on the planet."
As for the coldest cities in the United States with a population of at least 10,000, Michigan's Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula makes it into the top five, at least according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, an annual guide full of weather forecasts, planting charts, and astronomical data.
The four other cities, if you are wondering, are:
Williston, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Duluth, Minnesota
Fairbanks, Alaska.
More:Wind knocks out power to 30,000 across Michigan as crews scramble to make repairs
More:White Christmas in Detroit? History shows it's hit or (mostly) miss
It's uncertain whether there will be much snow before Christmas.
Schultz said Thursday's rain should lighten up and then quit. There's a 30% chance of snow Friday, mostly just flakes.
The weather service only predicts a week out, and for now, other than Friday, Schultz said there could be some snow Wednesday, but the lower temperatures usually bode well for the possibility of white Christmas, just like the ones we used to have in the 1980s and 2000s.
Weather service data, which has documented snow on the ground at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus going back to 1958, shows there's been at least an inch of snow on the ground on Dec. 25 only 29 times, a little worse than a coin flip. Not the best odds.
But Wayne County's Division Director of Roads Steve Shaya has said in the days leading up to Christmas, his crews are preparing to clear as much as four to five inches of roadway snow if that's an indicator of anything. Fingers crossed?
More:Michigan hospitals get federal grants to be ready for the next pandemic
As for that Siberian blast, Schultz said the weather is all connected, but, mostly, the cold "will be coming from Canada."
Writers Keith Matheny and Nour Rahal contributed. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Blast of bitter cold air expected in Michigan just before Christmas
