A tale of two autumns: How this year's weather pales in comparison to last

SOUTH BEND, Ind.--Last year looked a whole lot different in terms of weather. One year ago, this week, snow and ice covered the ground. This year, Michiana is still seeing temperatures in the 50s and 60s.

All the snow was lake-influenced and began on the night of Nov. 8, 2025. The snow continued, dumping a whopping 8 inches of snow on the 9th, and an additional 6 inches on the 10th.  

This is the 7th warmest fall to date, and we have yet to see any snow. However, beginning the month without snowfall isn't uncommon. Within the past 5 years, the weather was fairly quiet by Nov. 11 with snow coming later in the month -- except for 2025. It was certainly the outlier with 14.6 inches of snowfall accumulated by the second week of the month.

Michiana has evaded cold and snowy weather so far. We haven't seen a low temperature of 31 degrees or less all season. The last time we saw sub-freezing temps was in May.  Typically, we see our first sub-freezing day in mid-October, around the 20th. Last year, we reached below freezing temperatures on October 25th. The latest sub-freezing low we've seen was on Nov. 25, back in 1931.

Michiana can't dodge wintry weather forever. Forecasted lows in 30s are expected to begin as early as tomorrow night. These cold temperatures will then usher in the chance of snow flurries Friday morning.