Wind blows the Lake Michigan surf as the Muskegon lighthouse is seen in the background at the Pere Marquette Park beach on Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Muskegon. (The Muskegon Chronicle)
Everyone knows that spring starts Wednesday … well, everyone except Old Man Winter.
A cold front invading southward from the Canadian plains is translated into temperatures in the 20s Tuesday, which are made even more biting by winds gusting up to 30 mph.
"The low tonight will be about 20 degrees and the winds will stay in the 10 to 20 mph range," said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Considine, working from the White Lake Township station.
"It's horrible," Westland resident Paul Stevens said. "Last winter was a lot milder.
An unfriendly reminder Tuesday from the weather service noted "on this same date last March, it was 80 degrees in Flint and Saginaw and 75 in Detroit."
Detroiter Chandace Cooper remained optimistic as she braved the unforgiving cold Tuesday.
"This is winter's last hoorah," she said. "By Sunday it will be 45 degrees and after that it will get warmer. That's my prediction."
This week's weather is being even more heavy-handed in other portions of the state, dumping snow on the Upper Peninsula, with up to 2 feet forecast in places.
The National Weather Service said as of late Tuesday morning, the Ironwood area had 7 to 10 inches and the Marquette area had 3 to 6 inches. Snow is to continue into Thursday, with 10 to 24 inches expected near Ironwood, Baraga and the Porcupine Mountains.
Heavy lake-effect snow is expected along Lake Superior. Occasional white-out conditions are forecast into Wednesday.
In parts of the northern Lower Peninsula, 6 to 9 inches of snow is forecast by Thursday morning. Some areas could see more than a foot.
Southern Michigan mostly will miss the snow, but icy roads led to crashes Tuesday morning. West Michigan roads were slippery, delaying some schools.
The weather for Wednesday in Metro Detroit is basically more of the same as Tuesday, according to Considine.
"There's a chance of snow showers throughout the day but no accumulation," Considine said. "The high temperature will be around 30 with a low of 20. There's really no break on the horizon, but we will see a moderating trend this weekend with a high of about 40 degrees."
According to the weather service, the normal high for this time of year is about 50 degrees. So far this year, the Detroit area has received 47.2 inches of snow, 8.5 inches above the average of 38.7 inches.
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Detroit News Staff Writer Ursula Watson and The Associated Press contributed
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