After a near-average Christmas, with a high temperature of 36 degrees, a cool down is expected as we head into the New Year.
ARCTIC AIR RETURNS
High temperatures will dip into the 20s for early January across most of the Midwest. This comes on the heels of a December that saw about a 50% split of above- and below-average high temperatures.
Simultaneously, the pattern will turn a bit active triggering chances for lake-effect snow into the first weekend of January. A chance for a wintry mix and snow develops late on New Year’s Eve.
A LOOK BACK
The average high temperatures for New Year’s Day in Grand Rapids is 32 degrees. Temperatures have come in above average in each of the last three years and in six of the last 10.
When taking a look back at the week between Christmas and New Year’s, they have been rather warm as well. This has often triggered a thaw across the state leaving little to no snow behind.
Only 2017 and 2020 have seen a below-average temperature stretch. While 2024 looks to be following the trend of being warmer than normal, cooler air in the new year will once again win out.