Mary Gardner, of Algoma Township, sent us this photo of something you’d rarely see in January—primroses blooming!
“I was filling my birdfeeder today and a bee buzzed by me,” she said. “I wondered how many other things were fooled by our spring-like weather, so I checked my flower garden. Sure enough, I have primroses budding and blooming on January 10th! This is utterly amazing to me.”
Mary said she also has strawberry plants leafing out. “I can’t help but wonder what this will do to our spring crops,” she added.
According to WOOD-TV meteorologist Matt Kirkwood, we have officially broken the record for the least amount of snow to begin a winter season. By January 10 Grand Rapids only had 9.8 inches of snow, and the average by January 10 is usually 36.4 inches. Weather in November, December and January has been warmer than average, with January being a full 9 degrees warmer.
However, we are under a winter storm watch beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday evening and into Friday, with an expectation of 4-8 inches of snow.