Oct. 18--Parts of northern Michigan received their first snowfall of the year Friday, with about 3 inches of snow blanketing areas around Gaylord and the Upper Peninsula.
"This is one of our cold shots to the beginning of the season that we sometimes get," said Jeff Lutz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord.
The first snowfall often starts toward the end of October to early November in northern Michigan, and snow season usually lasts until April, according to the weather service.
The region is expected to get continued, low accumulations of lake effect snow through Saturday night, though meteorologists aren't expecting the region will get more snow than it did Friday night, Lutz said.
The light snowfall began about 4 p.m. Friday and continued into the night in higher elevations, sometimes mixing with rain, Lutz said. Most areas had about 1 or 2 inches, he said, though there was a 4- to 5-inch report near Kalkaska, about 40 miles northeast of Gaylord.
Temperatures in the region will range from the mid-30s to 40 degrees through the rest of Saturday, he said.
Chicago's first measurable snowfall, on average, happens around Nov. 17, according to the Illinois State Climatologist's office. Although it's only expected to be in the mid-50s on Sunday, warm weather should return on Monday, when temperatures could hit 70. For more details, check the Tribune's weather page.
meltagouri@tribune.com
