Winds of change are coming fast and furious!

It's been a dizzying array of up and down in the temperature and the wind department here lately. And sadly, it’s just down in the snow department. Thank goodness that we had a couple of wind shifts that resulted in snow preservation with the temperature going below freezing for the most part Wednesday night through Friday morning, before this latest warm-up.

It all has to do with the position of high pressure and low pressure. When we get high pressure to our north, the air comes from Canada and we chill. When the low pressure goes to our north, we get the opposite of chill, air coming from the south and warmer temps, such as what happened here today ~ Friday April 3rd ~ at least the sky brightened up. But the wind was gusting past 45 miles an hour from the south. Word is we even had a thunderstorm nearby in the pre-dawn.

All that action had more to do with a strong high-pressure system and the cold air that came in Thursday. That high pressure center moved east and we had a fairly weak low going north of Lake Huron. There was a little bit of snow and sleet before this warmer wind came in. And now as that pressure passes north and east and out, we have a weak cold front coming in overnight into early Saturday. That cooler and drier air should at least help us groom out the snow on our Saturday morning with the temperature back down to close to 32°, not a solid refreeze, and wind letting up. We may even have a little bit of sunshine. When was the last time we saw sunshine? (Monday)

It looks like wind will remain light from the east for much Saturday with the temperature rising into the 40s. So some good corn snow skiing.

The air is going to turn around again late in the day, back from the south again Saturday night as another low pressure system goes to our north bringing in thicker clouds and some light rain by Easter Sunday sunrise, it looks foggy, with showers and the temperature holding in the 40s and wind from the south gusting past 45 miles an hour ~ again ~ not pretty.

Our next cold front comes through during the midday with a few downpours and maybe a thunderstorm before lunchtime. Easter Sunday afternoon begins to dry with the clouds thinning out a bit as wind picks back up from the west and we see a few snowflakes here by sunset.

There’s going to be a little up slope snowfall with an inch or three possible here by Monday morning. Monday looks like a wintry cold day flurries and temperatures close to freezing, wind from the west 20 to 30 mph.

An even colder front is going to come through during the day Tuesday.

Marginal Arctic air ~ April style. A very unstable atmosphere with billowing cumulus clouds thanks to an anomalous cold pool of air aloft, along with a very weak surface front... That MAY bring us a period of moderate to heavy snow for a time Tuesday. Temperatures on Tuesday, likely holding in the 20s with the wind going from light variable early in the day to gusty from the northwest late in the day.

High pressure from Northern Canada is going to crest right over here Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Probably the last time we see the temperature down close to 10° this season is on Wednesday morning. But April sunshine should warm us back up to freezing Wednesday afternoon. Back to the rhythm of nice weather midweek returning. We missed that this week.

Corn snow is on the menu next Wednesday. We’re still just cold enough for a nice groom on Wednesday night before the cold high pressure system moves off the East Coast to our south at night. That’s when we get another push the air back in from the southwest with gusts pest 40 mph Thursday afternoon with the temperature back in the 50s. Another cold front comes in next Thursday night and Friday. That will likely have some rain and snow showers. After that, we may have a pretty nice second weekend of April shipping up next week.

So we’re pretty much using our 'snow in the bank' so to speak. Thank goodness we’ve had a bunch of it. That 400 inch mark is so close. We should get past 400" for the season by Tuesday.

That’ll keep us going a few more weeks.

Happy Good Friday and Easter.

We’ll talk again on Tuesday.

TK