Woman, 5 others gain better understanding of winter weather from experts.

SONJA McGETTRICK, shown standing
by the garden at her Solon Township home,
was one of six county residents who last
week learned about winter weather
phenomena from National Weather
Service meteorologists.

Sonja McGettrick likes snow, or at least tolerates it.

“When John and I got married in November 1972 there was six inches of snow on the ground at the church in Traverse City,” she said.

From their home on Hoxie Road in eastern Solon Township, McGettrick keeps an eye on the weather because of her curiosity and her gardening habit.

“I love the weather. I have the Weather Channel on all the time, I just like knowing what is coming and why,” she said.

Winter weather is especially important as she lives in a “snow pocket.”

“We get more snow here in our valley, a lot more than they do in Traverse City. I think we get about 10 feet more,” McGettrick said.

In addition to her large raised-bed herb garden, McGettrick devotes much of the spring, summer and fall to a large perennial garden. She also hopes to plant a small orchard next spring.

“I want to have three peach trees and three pair trees. Gary Kroupa said I should plant cherries and apples, but we get too many late freezes for cherries here,” she said. The McGettrick’s property includes a part of what is known as Mount Killman, considered the highest point in Leelanau County. “My kids have walked up there, it ‘s really neat,” she said.

McGettrick’s interest in weather has advanced to the next level. She was one of six county residents who learned how to measure snowfall and gain a better understanding of other winter weather phenomena at a presentation hosted by the National Weather Service at the county emergency operations center on Thursday, Oct. 25. Weather service meteorologists Keith Berger, Jeff Zoltowski and Mike Cellitti each provided information during the nearly two-hour seminar.

The Gaylord office of the National Weather Service is hosting the informal seminars around northern lower Michigan. Berger, head of the data gathering unit for the Gaylord office, said the weather service hosts winter weather seminars as a way of getting information to the general public.

“We have another reason, too. We’re hoping some of the people who attend these seminars will become interested enough to become a weather spotter,” Berger said.

Weather spotters are people who have an interest in the weather and keep track of conditions where they live. Berger said spotters are vital for providing information during severe weather incidents, like the line of thunderstorms that moved through northwest Lower Michigan on Oct. 18 that spawned a series of six tornadoes.

Berger said he was happy to see local interest in the seminar because more Leelanau spotters are needed.

“Leelanau is one of the areas we don’t get a lot of information from and it is probably the hardest county for us to forecast because of its location and terrain,” he said.

John Wanamaker of Lake Leelanau attended the seminar because he likes knowing how weather develops, and what develops from different atmospheric patterns.

Plus, he won a rain gauge. “That was nice, it’s a great rain gauge,” he said.
Berger demonstrated how people can measure snowfall and snow depth by using a standard one-foot ruler or three-foot yard stick, and a painted white piece of plywood.

Find a spot in a yard that is not too open or too closed, and in a place where the snow doesn’t drift. Place the plywood on a flat portion of the ground, then check it at the same time each day. Using the ruler or yard-stick, measure how much snow has fallen on the board in different spots, then average the amount. Once measurements are concluded, clear off the board and put it back in the same spot.

It is generally good to check the snowfall at the same time every day. But, Berger said if one wants to do a more frequent update during a heavy snow, follow the same procedure every hour. To check accumulated snow depth take a yardstick and conduct measurements at different spots around a yard or area.

As to what kind of winter northern Lower Michigan will have this season, Zoltowski expects normal to slightly above normal temperatures. Winter will start with below-normal precipitation amounts through January 2008, he predicted. However, he believes that between January and March 2008 the region should experience above-normal precipitation.

“We will be under the influence of a moderate to strong LaNiña effect,” he said. LaNiña occurs when the surface temperatures cool in southeast and central areas of the Pacific Ocean. LaNiñas generally occur after an El Niño cycle, where the ocean surface temperatures warm. During El Niños, northern lower Michigan generally experience colder winters with above-normal snowfall.