Christmas Snowmageddon - Winter Storm Elliot Approacheth
Mates,
A big part of our country is now under the gun for winter storm Elliott. In Michigan, up and down the state, 1-2' of snow is expected and they are talking about 50 mph winds to accompany the snow. Plans for Christmas travel are greatly impacted and of course, you better have your house in order, supplies, what to do if/when the power goes out.
...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THURSDAY TO 7 PM EST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions expected Friday. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 20 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of southwest and west central Michigan. * WHEN...From 4 PM Thursday to 7 PM EST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Travel will be very difficult to impossible. Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will mainly impact Friday and Saturday travel. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...While the snow will start by mid afternoon on Thursday, the strong winds will not start until Friday morning. It is then that conditions will become dangerous due to low wind chills, blowing snow, and very low visibilities. Power outages are possible.
Snow should be done by later on Christmas Eve, but it's going to be a donnybrook from tomorrow night until then. Please be careful, plan ahead, and yeah, you better get your shopping done early tomorrow! I am told that Santa has already contacted Rudolph to guide his sleigh
Be careful out there,
XM
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:08 AM ^
Yeah man, you aren't landing in Grand Rapids, they've already posted Blizzard warnings for Thursday afternoon through Saturday.
Even if you land, travel by car is going to be rough, especially if you're heading along or West of US 131.
December 22nd, 2022 at 12:35 PM ^
"My hands are warm between two pillows."
"Those aren't pillows!"
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:04 AM ^
My plan exactly. My Friday morning flight out of Flint has already been cancelled. Heading out (driving) mid-day Thursday to get below the storm before it hits and will be in FLA Friday afternoon.
December 22nd, 2022 at 11:06 PM ^
Well, flight was cancelled. At least the wet bandits won't get the place this year.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:19 PM ^
I’m on my way to save you XM. Hold tight.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:23 PM ^
oh, you're funny. we are about as well set-up as a family could be, and no plans for travel other than i fear our oldest son won't be able to make it up north to see us. that would be my only disappointment.
i'm guessing i'll be using the tractors to dig out some of the neighbors though. 2' of snow is okay, but with 50 mph winds i'm sure some of the drifts will be pretty epic.
December 22nd, 2022 at 10:20 AM ^
Post some good pics if the swells get high or the ditches deep!
December 22nd, 2022 at 10:32 PM ^
My kids just made it home tonight. Rough roads in GR. Hope yours get home ok. Christmas would not be the same without them.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:22 PM ^
About 10 years I ago --- I was living in Cincinnati, I have the TV on in the background and the 11 PM local news comes on. This is in early-to-mid June.
BREAKING NEWS!!! Channel 5 plays the scary music to start the news broadcast. What could this be that required the "BREAKING NEWS" chyron and the lead story of the broadcast?
It was going to be hot the next day. Specifically, a high of 95 degrees was forecast.
Yes, that's hot. Yes, it's going to snow in Detroit the next couple days. Yes, that's a little annoying giving I just flew into Detroit from sunny Los Angeles.
But still --- none of that is quite the end of the world. This event does seem like it's getting hyped JUST a bit much. Cincinnati has been 95 before and Detroit has seen 6 inches of snow and wind before.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:36 AM ^
As Ron White famously said, "It's not that the wind is blowin', it's what the wind is blowin'." Gusts to 50 mph pushing against ice-covered power lines is going to create power outages across Michigan just in time for Christmas Day.
Doesn't matter a lot to us in our house this week, though. I'm still fighting off COVID and my wife probably has it (tests are so far negative but her temp is rising). My in-laws are elderly and terrified of the virus, so we won't be putting them at risk.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:45 AM ^
I believe there is a secret deal in place between the local news stations and the grocery stores to hype up every weather event so people will go to the stores and clear off the shelves. These storms usually don’t live up to the hype. I
December 22nd, 2022 at 9:40 AM ^
Augmented by the sensationalized media build-up language: “Special ongoing team coverage of the impending major storm. Make sure that you and your family are fully prepared by watching us on channel ____________.”
December 21st, 2022 at 11:25 PM ^
I'm just thrilled to have to be working in this hell. And in a field that demands immediate responses to often fraudulent calls. Faaaaantastic.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:28 PM ^
Here in the Virginia, it's going to rain. Then it will stop raining, and then it will get pretty cold. Like in 90+% of years it won't be a white Christmas.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:40 PM ^
My wife and I were originally scheduled to fly to Detroit from Philly on Friday very early AM. Early yesterday, we made the decision to switch our flight to tomorrow at 5:30 pm (which ironically Delta credited us back $20 each since it was a cheaper flight than the originally booked one--go figure) after it became more and more likely Friday AM was going to be bad. It's going to be raining in Philly when we depart, but we're hoping to get in before the winds get brutal all over the place and roads freeze over. The flash freeze is what I'm particularly concerned about.
December 21st, 2022 at 11:47 PM ^
I wonder if the first name of this winter storm is Sonny?
December 22nd, 2022 at 11:51 AM ^
It's going to be snowy and cold, so kind of a "Snoldy" kind of day!
Sorry, not sorry to say that I'm in AZ so we have highs in the upper 60's and lows in the upper 30's, and this is one of the colder winters in the last few years. This is the payoff for those brutal summer temps.
December 22nd, 2022 at 12:26 AM ^
Love this PSA.
Stay safe and happy holidays all.
December 22nd, 2022 at 12:29 AM ^
Chicago forecast has gone from 10” to a foot of snow on Monday down to 3” today. Still going to be damn cold and windy on Friday. My daughter couldn’t reschedule to get here earlier due to work, so not sure she will make in here on Friday. Ground crews at O’Hare are going to have problems with the cold and wind.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:28 AM ^
Same, live about 1.5 hours west of Chicago and Monday we were slated for 17” on the NOAA site and this morning it’s right around 2”. If it’s gonna be cold and miserable outside, it may as well snow a bunch…I dislike winter very much…
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:21 AM ^
Live in Troy, but we are spending Christmas at middle daughter, U-M ‘13, and her husband’s home because our only grandson, all of sixteen months old, is there. She married a two time UVA alum, ‘12 & ‘14, so they live in Charlottesville.
Changed our flight from Friday to today due to Elliott. So happy we did! Looking forward to Christmas with the family and watching the semifinal vs TCU with youngest daughter, U-M, MSW ‘19, also there!
Family, Christmas, and Michigan football. Doesn’t get any better!
Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays to y’all (as they say down here) fellow mgobloggers! Stay safe and Go Blue!!
PS-youngest is a Hope alum and lived in Holland for seven years total. As much as she loved living there, she’s happy not to be there this weekend!
December 22nd, 2022 at 4:50 AM ^
Never cared for this recent trend of "naming" regular storms (winter storms or otherwise)... seems excessive and unnecessary.
We were originally planning to drive up to MI Friday, but bumped up our plans by one day earlier to avoid being on the road when it hit. Instead, we can watch the wind & snow come from the comfort of the hotel jacuzzi.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:41 AM ^
It's all marketing and branding. Thank our friends over at the Weather Channel in 2013. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly) extreme weather rates very highly on national news. And "big ole winter storm" just doesn't get it done when it compares to monumental weather "events" like Hurricane Hugo or Hurricane Andrew, Katrina, et al.
Safe drive up today.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:22 AM ^
Oh yes, I'm accutely aware of the Weather Channel giving their own names to land-based storms. It should be noted that no actual authority (National Weather Service, etc.) recognizes these names.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:20 AM ^
2-4 inches here in northwest Ohio. But -38 windchill means I’ll have to turn on the furnace for the 1st time this year. I usually heat with a Lennox pellet stove, but there’s no way that sucker will keep up with those numbers. I had foam insulation installed which made a huge difference being out in the country, but this will be cold we haven’t felt in years. I’m on the fence on buying a generator just in case power goes out.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:40 AM ^
Having grown up in rural MI, take my advice and buy it. If it's not this storm that makes you wish you had the generator, it will be another one.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:56 AM ^
in ohio you get more tornados than you will big snows, but get the genny for certain since tornados are quite good at knocking out power, too.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
Oh I’m aware of power loss, lived in either southern Michigan or northern Ohio my whole life. My wife’s suv has a 110 plug in the back, so worst case scenario is I’ll run an extension cord in for the pellet stove so at least I’ll have heat. Won’t be the 72 the wife’s used to but won’t freeze to death either. I’ve got around 10 Milwaukee batteries and lanterns for light. AEP power just ran all new lines and poles down my road so hopefully the power holds out.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:40 AM ^
just a suggestion, but maybe get a more substantial generator, a stand-by generator that automatically kicks on when the power goes out and powers all or most of the regular house electrical panel. standard practice in the UP and in the northern lower, ours has logged a lot of hours in the decades since i set it. hooked up to two 500 gal pigs of propane, you will have power for a long time.
something like this:
.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:50 AM ^
Generator porn. Want this more than a classic car. Weird.
December 22nd, 2022 at 10:23 AM ^
generators cost way less, and are way more practical, so there's that.
gennys really aren't that expensive to get a helpful one for your house - 15 KW, pour a cement pad and set it on there, get someone to help you with the gas hook-up and the transfer switch and you're in business.
December 22nd, 2022 at 10:41 AM ^
looking at $7500 to $10k for that set up. I've looked at them, but also considered the number of time that it would have actually been used (in my personal experience).... for us, not worth the cost.
I have a 5000kw that works well and can keep heat in the house (not 72 degrees, but enough heat to get by) fridge and freezer functioning....
December 22nd, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
If I lived in the UP I’d have no issues with it. I did just pick up a 2500 watt Westinghouse just now for under $500. I just prepped it and it fired up on the second pull so I’m in business if things go south. Plus it’s so dam quiet it’ll be perfect for tailgating. Probably won’t need it, but it’s useful if I do.
December 22nd, 2022 at 12:32 PM ^
just sent you a 22KW for $5999 and that is probably twice what you need. you are super handy so you can pour a 4' x 6' piece of concrete, and there's no way it'll take more than $1,000 for that transfer switch and fuel connect.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:56 AM ^
Looking forward to it! I would rather it be in the 70s but if it's gonna be cold I prefer to have the snow!
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:17 AM ^
It's going to be interesting.. I now live near Sault Ste Marie..Lived in Fort Myers, Fl for the past 16 years..Had to leave because of circumstances due to Hurricane Ian and now live with my son, I'm retired and 78. So it looks like there talking a foot of snow/winds and cold..It's going to be quite the experience.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:52 AM ^
get the snow machine out and be a true yooper!
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:20 AM ^
Time to test that reliable DTE power grid.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:24 AM ^
I have lived in Michigan for 57 years. Typically I am more worried about the storms they don’t predict than what they do predict. How many Snowmaggedons turn into 3 “ and a cloud of dust?
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:34 AM ^
Kalamazoo is very calm right now! I’m in the western most part of the county, supposed to get up to 2 feet of snow. Schools getting out 2 hours early today, no school tomorrow. Working from home. Should be good unless we lose power…
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:41 AM ^
Don't worry. Here in Virginia we got the rain on lockdown. Boooooooo
Just one white Christmas is all I ask for...
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:04 AM ^
I think the cold will be worse than the snow here (outside of Chicago). A friend in Buffalo told me that they're expecting Category 3-like winds with the blowing snow and they cancelled their Christmas Eve plans, which involved people traveling to their house. I hope everyone has a safe and warm holiday, wherever you are.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:35 AM ^
had not checked buffalo. looks like it'll be just great....
Friday
Rain before 8am, then snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow after 10am. Temperature falling to around 15 by 3pm. Wind chill values as low as -10. Very windy, with a southwest wind 15 to 25 mph increasing to 37 to 47 mph. Winds could gust as high as 70 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Friday Night
Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow. Low around 16. Wind chill values as low as -10. Very windy, with a southwest wind 41 to 48 mph, with gusts as high as 70 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.
Saturday
Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow. High near 19. Windy, with a southwest wind 34 to 39 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:10 PM ^
Batten down the hatches. Yikes.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
1-2 feet? I'm jealous!
In the mountains in NY, we have 25" of snow on the ground, it's going to snow for 8 hours today before changing to rain for 14 hours with temps peaking at 47, dropping 2" of rain before changing back over to snow for the last few hours and then temps bottom out to single digits.
Suppose to drive to Pittsburgh while it's raining... going to be a blast!
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:27 AM ^
Daughter and Granddog just arrived from SeaTac last night. Doesn't leave until 26th so should be okay on flights but it will be a madhouse for a few days for sure.
Firewood is ready and covered. Snowblower started and filled last week. Electric start is the best. Both my neighbors and I have oversized snowblowers so we fight to see who can get the others sidewalk and half the block first. Good folks both sides.