The Year of No Summer occurred in 1816 when Indonesia’s volcanic Mount Tambora pumped the atmosphere with ash and sulfur. Frosts and snow in the summer, with widespread crop failures, was the result. Nothing so dramatic here, but I am beginning to believe this is the year of no winter in Western Michigan. Or at least a very mild one. Sure, we have had a couple snowstorms, but Lake Michigan has stayed mostly ice-free in Grand Haven.
February 21st, and another good wind kicking up the waves a bit… but no ice crashing to shore. And with forecasted warmer temperatures, it looks like no ice to come. Let us hope this means a warm summer… with warm Lake Michigan waters.