Michiganders Can Expect Warm, Wet Spring: Farmer's Almanac Says

MICHIGAN — The first day of spring is Sunday, March 20, with the vernal equinox, but meteorological spring is the one that counts when it comes to getting outside — especially when we get an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day when daylight saving time begins.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac said in its spring 2022 forecast that warmer-than-normal spring temperatures, except in the desert Southwest and Florida, where temperatures are expected to be slightly below normal this spring.

Precipitation will be above normal in parts of the South; the Midwest; a large swath of the western United States, stretching from the Rockies into the Pacific Northwest, and from Arizona westward into California; and in Hawaii.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac customized its spring forecast for each of 18 zones. In the lower lakes region, which includes most of Michigan, Michiganders can expect warmer temperatures with slightly higher amounts of precipitation.

Released last month, the competing Farmers’ Almanac spring outlook calls for unseasonably cold temperatures on the first day of spring.

Overall, Northern-tier states will see near-normal temperatures, while Southern-tier states will see somewhat cooler-than-normal conditions. The one exception is the Southwest, where it will be warm to hot.

Also, the second week of May is expected to be unseasonably cool across much of the United States.

A wetter-than-normal spring is expected over the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Midwest and South Central States, while the opposite is expected in the Northeast and Southwest.

A “meteorological swizzle stick” is expected to stir up snow, wind, rain and severe thunderstorms, with some possibly spawning tornadoes, from the Rockies through the Plains.

In lower lakes region, Michiganders can expect snow showers to hang around until the last week of March, before transitioning into rain showers in April, according to the The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac divides the country into 18 zones for its 60-day forecast. For the lower lakes region, temperatures will be at least 7 degrees warmer than normal for March and April. Temperatures will still stay moderately warmer than usual in May, just before summer.

The Almanac also predicted March will have slightly more precipitation than normal, while April will remain normal, before a moderate drop off in May. Region nine, which includes much of the upper midwest, including Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is expected to get signinfact amounts of more than normal precipitation.