Call it winter's tease.
A record-setting warm spell yesterday that made January's blizzard in southern Michigan a melted memory was being followed by a squall line expected to plunge much of the state into a windy chill of freezing rain and snow today.
"Temperatures are falling like a rock," National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Boyne said about 5 p.m. yesterday.
His warning for much of Lower Michigan: "Whatever the temperature's going to be at midnight tonight is going to be the high for (today), and I couldn't even venture a guess what that's going to be."
How swiftly - and dramatically - things change.
An upper-level trough that pulled warm air from the Gulf of Mexico into the Great Lakes region translated into record highs in several Michigan cities yesterday, some posting their warmest February day ever.
Detroit's high was 70, nine degrees balmier than the previous record for that day set in 1932.
The Motor City's high yesterday also eclipsed the high for any day for the month - 68 set on Feb. 26, 1944.
For Detroit, Boyne said, "it was the earliest 70 ever, going back to March 7, 1987."
Such was the story in Flint, where yesterday's high of 67 shattered the day's old record of 42 in 1966 while posting the warmest February day since the city began keeping such records in 1942.
The old record for the month was 63 on Feb. 23, 1984.
Grand Rapids reported a high yesterday of 68 degrees, four degrees warmer than the day's old record set in 1932.
And in Alpena, temperatures rose as high as 54 on yesterday, breaking the city's old record of 42 in 1984.
Benton Harbor weighed in yesterday at 71, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo 70 a piece and Lansing at 69.
Generally in northern Lower Michigan, yesterday's highs were in the upper 40s, low 50s, a far cry from typical temperatures there of the upper 20s this time of year, said Brian Adam, a weather service meteorologist in Gaylord.
While Michigan perhaps warmed to the rising mercury, Boyne said the balminess would be short-lived.
"If you don't enjoy the next couple of hours, bye-bye," he said.
By yesterday evening, conditions in parts of Michigan already were turning testier, with the weather service warning northern Lower Michigan of foul, scattered thunderstorms headed its way.
Some the storms were expected to pack winds gusting to 60 mph, heavy downpours and lightning.
Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior were under a gale warning effect yesterday night that was expected to last until today. That could make conditions on already thin ice even more dangerous by shifting ice around.
"There is no such thing as safe ice because conditions change so rapidly," U.S. Coast Guard Group Detroit Chief Kenneth Andera told The Bay City Times.
To Boyne, the dramatic change was part of a squall line racing toward Michigan, bringing with it the potential of a shivering mix of snow, sleet and plunging temperatures for much of Lower Michigan today.
"It's gonna get pretty messy," Adam said.
n Detroit's high temperature of 70 degrees breaks record dating to 1932.
n Flint's high of 67 degrees
surpasses a 42 degree record set in 1966.
n 15 year-old Alpena record temperature broken with 54 degree high.
n Grand Rapids shatters record from 1932 with a 68 degree recording.
n Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior under gale warning.
n 71 degrees recorded at Benton Harbor.
02-12-99
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