Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

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    TCSF PRACTICE
November 26, 2008

Forecast is gray but dry for weekend

By ART BUKOWSKI

TRAVERSE CITY -- Weather through the Thanksgiving weekend should be about par for the course, forecasters say.

The average high temperature for this time of year is 38 degrees, Gaylord-based National Weather Service Meteorologist David Lawrence said. Some of the Grand Traverse region could see highs approaching that mark through the end of Sunday, he said, but much of the area will remain in the low- to mid-30s.

And aside from light snow expected to fall late Thursday afternoon into Friday morning, forecasters say the region should remain cloudy but largely dry through Sunday, save for a "rogue snow flurry or two."

"It's about as benign as you can get, really," Lawrence said.

Lows will dip into the mid-to-upper 20s, Lawrence said, normal for late November.

The colder it gets, the better it is for downtown Traverse City's Boyne Country Sports, which witnessed a boost in customers revved up by early season cold and a blanket of snow.

"Most people that come in here are enthusiasts of snow. They're getting ready and gearing up," Assistant Manager Jessie Stanley said Wednesday. "A lot of people are telling me they are going out (on Thanksgiving) skiing or snowboarding."

Not all businesses welcome a blast of winter. Manager Joe Welsh sat behind colorful rows of ice cream in an empty Cold Stone Creamery on the east end of downtown. He'd gladly have summer year-round.

"Our business is directly proportional to the weather," Welsh said. "November is always our worst month because the shock of winter sets in."

But as weeks pass and cold stays, customers begin to trickle in again.

"People (get) used to winter, and people are out and about," Welsh said.

Downstate residents Bill and Sue Lauppe shopped along Front Street downtown on Wednesday. They're staying at their Benzie County cottage, and more snow would certainly help the scenery. But they'd rather have clean roads for those who are traveling.

"This is when families are driving, and you worry for their safety ... if you don't have to drive anywhere, snow would be great," Sue Lauppe said.

Lawrence expects the coming weeks to bring sustained cold, he said, although it's hard to project beyond a certain point.

"Overall, it looks like December has a shot at being fairly chilly," he said.

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