Although the unexpected snowfall left many people shivering this weekend, on the roads and in the fields there were few problems, police said.
The almost 3 inches of snow that covered the Lansing area this weekend was not a local record, said Walt Felver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Grand Rapids branch.
That record is held with 11 inches of snow on May 9, 1923, Felver said.
About 2.9 inches of snow accumulated in the area as of Sunday evening since Saturday, Felver said. That exceeds the record for the same day in 1980 by an inch.
"We don't get snow this late in the year every year," he said. "It certainly does happen."
The cooler temperatures were caused by an upper-level low pressure area that "decided to hang around for a little longer," Felver said, adding that the area drew colder air and moisture from Canada and sent it west across the United States.
This weekend parts of Michigan's thumb area received more than a foot of snow from the same system, he said.
Felver said this week should not be as cold, with an equal mix of clouds and sunshine and temperatures rising to the 50s.
"I don't think we'll be seeing 70s anytime soon," he said.
According to the Michigan State Police Web site, 9 percent of crashes in 2003 occurred during snow. There have been few accidents or problems because of the weekend's weather, said Michigan State Police Sgt. Charles Hockanson with Lansing Post #11.
Michigan farmers are taking some precautions to protect their crops, but they are not very concerned, said Annemiek Schilder, a plant pathology assistant professor.
If temperatures reached below freezing, growers would begin to take measures to protect their plants, Schilder said. One way to protect them is to water them at night to keep their temperatures above freezing, she said.
For tree crops, there are wind machines which can be used to throw the air up so warmer air gets to lower areas, Schilder said. That method is enhanced in situations where some crops, such as grapes, are planted on hills. The sloping land allows for warmer air to flow down, she said.
"At this point, most crops are in a vulnerable stage, but I don't think it's cold enough," Schilder said.
Seven MSU baseball and softball games were canceled and one was cut short during the weekend due to the weather.
