Spring officially begins today with the vernal equinox at 10:46am, and the statewide forecast from NOAA looks like it will more or less cooperate with highs in the 60s in southern Michigan and the entire state expected to top freezing today – a welcome respite!
The photographer shared this way back in 2008, writing “MOMENTS after I took this shot, I balanced this egg on this nail. Unfortunately I didn’t “catch” that event but here is the lead-up to it. So, an egg CAN balance on the head of a nail on spring equinox.” So close!! For sure follow them on Flickr for the latest!
There’s lots more science on Michigan in Pictures, but to be strictly scientific, the equinox has no measurable effect on your ability to balance an egg! With that said, would love to see your egg balancing photos!!
“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” -Mark Twain
Tomorrow morning our seasonal window moves from winter to spring regardless of what the weather decides to do.
I am a firm vote for “Spring stuff” aka flowers, baby animals, duckies, etc, but to prepare you for whatever lies ahead, here are some flowers just minding their own business from Bill. See more in his massive Flowers gallery on Flickr & follow Bill’s Pictures on Facebook for his latest!
Although Michigan is still digging out of last weekend’s storm, it’s clear that it was one for the record books with Marquette & Negaunee already setting 2-day snow total records. mLive shares some of the eye-popping snow totals from around the state. Here are a few:
Round Lake – 52 inches (Alger County near Munising)
Cusino Lake – 48 1/2 inches (Schoolcraft County in the UP)
Wolverine & Petoskey – 28 & 28.7 were tops in the Lower Peninsula
Houghton & Hancock normally snow magnets had just 4 inches!
Kevin says that although the storm squashed any hope of seeing the Northern Lights in southwest Michigan, it can be defeated with high quality snow blowers 😉 See more in his Street Photography gallery and for sure follow him on Flickr for his latest … which usually includes eagles!
Marquette’s two-day snowfall total of 36.3 inches breaks the all-time two-day snowfall record of 31.9 inches, which was set on March 13-14 in 1997. Weather records for the NWS Marquette area go back to 1959. Also, a one-day snowfall record was set in Marquette on Monday, with 21.7 inches of snow falling. This breaks Marquette’s old record of 7.7 inches that was set in 2013. Intense snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour helped set the record.
As the snow numbers are being totaled, the Upper Peninsula and parts of the northern Lower Peninsula continue to dig out from the storm. Many roads remain closed and local law enforcement and public works officials are asking people to stay home as they try to plow the main routes. In some areas, the back roads likely won’t be plowed for days.
For sure stay safe & check on your neighbors if you can! As always, Michigan Storm Chasers are a great resource, and let me also suggest Lake Superior Photo as a great Marquette resource!
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore shared this photo with news that Sand Point Rd and all park facilities including the Munising Falls Visitor Center will remain closed through today due to blizzard conditions. Here are a couple more photos they shared recently to prophetically remind folks that winter isn’t over yet!
The 2026 Marche du Nain Rouge takes place this Sunday, March 22nd in Detroit’s Midtown. This will be the 16th year that the Mardi Gras themed parade & party takes over the Cass Corridor to humorously drive the hated Red Dwarf from the city. The Facebook event for the Marche says (in part):
11:30 a.m.+ Music starts as the crowd gathers at our Community Stage, located at the intersection of Canfield and Second. 1 p.m. Should the legendary Nain Rouge appear, we will show hope prevails in the city that rises from the ashes. Bring your sense of Detroit pride, positivity, and sense of humor. The opening ceremonies conclude with the Nain leading a procession down to the Masonic Temple around 1:30 p.m.; we don’t chase the Nain! You are the parade, so come with a pan on your head or in full regalia. Bring a washboard and jug band (EDITOR: even I daresay an Honest 2 God Jug Band). Wear a costume. Build a human-powered float. Put on a mask, cover your body in biodegradable glitter and sustainably harvested feathers– whatever it takes.
My Marche du Nain Rouge posts from past years have more photos & information about this hilariouslt goofy event including the Nain’s French roots!
Let me first wish a very happy 313 Day to the city of Detroit & all who love it! There is no city that I would rather be from, and none that I’d rather live in. Then let me also say that I think it’s kind of hilarious that I was looking for the perfect photo to celebrate the city and already had it queued up for a post!
While sunrise and sunset times are constantly on the move, sunlight rapidly increases in March (and rapidly decreases in September). During the month of March, some parts of the United States will add over an hour-and-a-half of sun by the end of the month.
…The increase in daylight, or the amount of time the sun spends above the horizon, will be most obvious in the northernmost parts of the U.S., which will face the sun more directly as the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun on Earth’s axis at a 23.5-degree angle, according to Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.
FYI, Michigan will pick up between 80 and 100 minutes of daylight this month.
Scott took this back in 2020 and he notes how 3-D it looks. You can see more in his massive Detroit gallery & for sure follow him on Flickr for the latest!
The mural was the 100th painted by Detroit artist Waleed Johnson which is pretty amazing when you consider how much work it is to paint a mural!
Yesterday the Gordie Howe International Bridge raised hopes that an opening is imminent when they shared the initial toll rates. Passenger vehicles will pay a standard flat toll rate of $8 CAD/$5.75 USD per crossing while commercial trucks, oversized vehicles, and larger passenger vehicles pay a standard per axle toll rate of $12 CAD/$8.75 USD. They also offer a Breakaway discount program.
While there are a number of unknowns that could impact opening, one thing to note is the date of Gordie Howe’s birthday: March 31st – 3/31 to the 313?
Michael took these photos and the awesome video below when they first lit the entire bridge on September 18, 2025. He wrote (in part) “For those fortunate enough to be in the area, the Gordie Howe International Bridge started testing their led lighting system and entire span of the Gordie Howe International Bridge was illuminated just in time for sunset. The testing actually began in late afternoon and by dusk the full spectacle of this magnificent structure could be seen for miles across Windsor and Detroit area.”
Fortunate indeed!! Check out a few more photos he shared to the Michigan in Pictures group and the video below. You can also view & purchase his work at Windsor Aerial Drone Photography.
I don’t want you to miss the video below that was created by WOOD-TV Grand Rapids, so don’t miss it OK? WDIV Detroit shares that the UFO Wave that swept Michigan and the nation in March of 1966 was sparked by a rash of UFO sightings in Washtenaw County:
In 1966, a string of seemingly odd occurrences in Washtenaw County drew the attention of the entire country. The events centered on a sudden wave of UFO sightings, with reports by police and citizens in March 1966. The same lights were spotted by officers in Ohio, just across the Michigan border, and by observers at Selfridge Air Force Base. The sightings triggered investigations by the Civil Defense and U.S. Air Force.
On Sunday, March 20, 1966, the sheriff’s office received reports of a UFO landing in a wooded, swamp area of Dexter Township. Police spoke to Frank Mannor, a truck driver who had gone into the swamp with his son. Here’s what Mannor told police:
“We got to about 500 yards of the thing,” Mannor told interviewers. “It was sort of shaped like a pyramid, with a blue-green light on the right-hand side and on the left, a white light. I didn’t see no antenna or porthole. The body was like a yellowish coral rock and looked like it had holes in it—sort of like if you took a piece of cardboard box and split it open. You couldn’t see it too good because it was surrounded with heat waves, like you see on the desert. The white light turned to a blood red as we got close to it and Ron said, ‘Look at that horrible thing.’”
👀 Yikes!
Jamie specializes in otherworldly photos as demonstrated by his phenomenal Stormy Weather gallery . Here are a few more from that gallery, but for sure click through because the Florida clouds are unreal. Follow him on Flickr or @MacDonald_Photo on Instagram for his latest!
“Those UFOs… Do They Really Exist?” was a news program about UFOs originally aired on Grand Rapids’ WOOD-TV in 1966 that was submitted for a Peabody Award that year.
Sarah shares that Sometimes, the actual sunset itself isn’t terribly ‘earth shattering’….but the after burn sure is! Such as the case last evening, when the sky erupted into the most brilliant of vibrant color! I also hit the jackpot with the outer pier being beautifully covered in what remained of melted snow and ice!
Regrettably she learned too late something that any digital photographer fears – all of her images from last night had been inadvertently saved as JPEGs 🫤 Still, it’s a dynamite shot! Head over to her Facebook or Instagram for her latest, and view & purchase her work on her website.
A lone supercell developed in La Porte County, Indiana, that moved up into Cass, St Joseph, and Branch counties in Michigan, where the death and destruction happened. Four people have died, including a 12-year-old boy in Cass County, and three people in Union City. Penni Jo Guthrie was identified as one of the three Union City victims. The other two have not been identified publicly yet.
…The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado had touched down in Union City. An EF-3 tornado with winds reaching at least 150mph has been confirmed according to their initial assessment. An EF-2 tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Three Rivers, and a third tornado was confirmed in the Edwardsburg area, but no rating was assigned to it as of Saturday evening.
Governor Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center Friday night & you can head over to their Facebook for some Michigan State Police Drone overflight videos.
Disasters are always magnets for scams, so it’s important to research who’s asking and where it’s going. The good people over at Michigan Storm Chasers are sharing great info on their Facebook & have created an Amazon Wish List for relief efforts that I encourage you to consider. If you want to include something for the four legged homies who are also hit hard by disaster, the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan is a good option.
Here’s a video of the tornado that caused the damage in the photo above. There’s something extra terrifying about seeing a tornado across a frozen lake.
Michigan in Pictures 
