Will Michigan See A Heavy Lake Effect Snow Event In January

The winter of 2023-24 has been exceptionally quiet. A strong el Nino kept warmer and drier air than normal in place in the Great Lakes giving us nearly no significant snow so far including a very green Christmas.

Now that the calendar has turned to 2024 and winter is supposed to be in full swing what are the chances for a significant lake effect snow event in January 2024?

The question came up recently on the Michigan Weather Facebook group asking, "What are the chances of a heavy lake effect snow in January?"

If you're a winter sports enthusiast, you may be asking the same thing. When will get get a chance to hit the slopes or the snowmobile?

MLive meteorologist Mark Terregosa says, particularly west of US 131 along the lakeshore where lake effect events can be significant snowfall not to expect much in January. Mark says,

without much cold air “heavy snow” won’t happen at least for a few weeks.

A few weeks from early January will actually take us pretty close to Groundhog Day when we start counting the weeks until spring.

So consider that winter can really feel short when you look at the season in those terms.

What does a typical January look like in Michigan? According to sunheron.com, a group of climate data enthusiasts, the state can expect average daytime highs around 30 and overnight lows as chilly as 10 below. For precipitation, the month generally sees 12 days with either rain or snow.

That certainly feels like January 2024 will come in below average. But the month is new and the weather in Michigan is uncertain at best.