It should be no surprise that the weather is very poor in Michigan this time of year. I spent four winters in Lafayette, Indiana which is not that far south compared to here, but the difference in temperature and precipitation is significant. Almost everyday this past week we have had some snowfall. A major storm hit on Friday dumping 11 inches or more around the area. This was on top of several inches that were already on the ground. This storm provided a rare cancellation of class at SMAT. While I don't mind missing a day or two of class I was looking forward to a special presentation that had to be cancelled. A new Cirrus composite aircraft was flying in for us to take a look at. It has an advanced next generation flight deck that I find interesting. We should be able to reschedule in the future.
We had a brief reprieve on Saturday from the weather. This gave everyone the opportunity to come to the SMAT Christmas party. It was held in our hanger in Ionia, and good times were had all around.
True to form, the weather made a sharp turn for the worse again today. Here is the weather report for the local area:
Now
Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 10am Monday... Recent trends from the latest Doppler radar imagery indicates the snowfall intensity has decreased somewhat over the last several hours. Light to moderate snow showers can be expected through 2pm...with 1 to 2 inches possible. However...even with lighter snow showers falling...wind gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range with even higher gusts will be blowing and drifting the newly fallen snow around and creating very hazardous conditions on the roads. Visibilities may be reduced to a quarter mile or less at times... with brief whiteout conditions possible. These winds will also be producing very low wind chills in the 10 to 20 below zero range. Needless to say...traveling should be avoided today and venturing outdoors is not advised.
Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 10am Monday... Recent trends from the latest Doppler radar imagery indicates the snowfall intensity has decreased somewhat over the last several hours. Light to moderate snow showers can be expected through 2pm...with 1 to 2 inches possible. However...even with lighter snow showers falling...wind gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range with even higher gusts will be blowing and drifting the newly fallen snow around and creating very hazardous conditions on the roads. Visibilities may be reduced to a quarter mile or less at times... with brief whiteout conditions possible. These winds will also be producing very low wind chills in the 10 to 20 below zero range. Needless to say...traveling should be avoided today and venturing outdoors is not advised.
So I guess I am not going anywhere today. The only destination I had today was to go to Church but even that was cancelled as several more inches of snow fell today. It is 10 degrees outside now and the forecast high tomorrow is 13 degrees. The good news is that I am heading home for Christmas in just a few days where it should be a little warmer and maybe I can get some flying done. Here are a few shots out my window today.
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