Accumulating lake effect snow is anticipated to continue over the next week, with greatest accumulations primarily near the Lake Michigan coast.
Mike Boguth, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said according to the Maple City co-op weather station, snow began to significantly accumulate the night before Thanksgiving. Snowfall records through Dec. 2 at the Maple City site observed approximately 11.4 inches of snow since Thanksgiving day, however, other locations on the peninsula have observed various readings ranging from less than 11 inches and more than a foot.
The snow accumulation continued in Leelanau due to a combination of both lake effect snow and a larger scale storm that spread across the region starting on Dec. 1. The larger scale storm system that began Dec. 1 brought heavier, wet snow to top off the ongoing lake effect the area saw for the last week. In the next one to two weeks, Boguth said temperatures will likely be a few degrees below normal on average. Other than colder temperatures, Boguth explained that the end of November and start of December is the traditional lake effect season when weather patterns really begin to ramp up.
