The arrival of winter in Michigan is not supposed to last long.
The cold snap earlier this week is expected to give way early next week to temperatures back in the forties.
The lack of snow is taking a toll on some parts of the state’s tourism economy.
Forecaster Mike Boguth says northern Michigan might set a record this year for the least amount of snowfall ever. Boguth works at the National Weather Service office in Gaylord.
He says what little snow there is now could melt next week when temperatures rise.
“We don’t see any signs of cold weather coming back after we get by this week.”
Most ski resorts up north opened in December. That’s because nighttime temperatures have been cold enough to make snow.
But for businesses that depend on snowmobile traffic this time of year, things couldn’t be much worse. They’ve had just one weekend of business all winter. That was this past weekend which included the Martin Luther King holiday.
Dave Ramsey owns Beaver Creek Resort near Gaylord. He says just enough snow fell late last week to open the trails.
Still, more than half his cabins were empty this weekend when he would usually have a waiting list.
“Every hotel in Gaylord every motel and little cabin cluster will just about fill to capacity on every major holiday if we have good snow.”
The weather could also create problems for the North America Vasa. The cross-country ski race near Traverse City could draw 1,000 racers the second weekend in February.
The VASA trail has three inches of base but no snow-making capacity.
-Peter Payette for The Environment Report
So what's up with this weather? Wunderground.com's Dr. Jeff Masters explains.
