Both Michigan's Woody the Woodchuck and Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter this Groundhog Day, and while they may not be the most accurate forecasters around, mid-Michigan's winter weather probably won't break anytime soon.
- Both Michigan's Woody the Woodchuck and Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter on Groundhog Day
- St. Johns bar owner Dean Mazzolini says bitter cold weather consistently slows business as customers stay home
- January and February are critical months for small business survival, with many facing challenges during the post-holiday winter period
WATCH: St. Johns bar owner braces for extended winter
I checked in with a local St. Johns business to see what an extended winter season could mean for their bottom line.
Dean Mazzolini is the owner of Bruno's Bar in St. Johns. He says he's bracing for several more weeks of cold weather before business typically picks back up in the spring.
"When it's very cold it's consistently slower," Mazzolini said.
"People aren't willing to get out in that kind of weather."
Mazzolini says it's the bitter cold more than the snow that keeps customers at home. And while there are still good days, he says warmer weather makes a noticeable difference for walk-in traffic.
"No matter whether he says six more weeks or not, we always have six more weeks of winter in Michigan," Mazzolini said.
I checked in with someone a bit more reliable than a groundhog about when a mid-Michigan winter typically starts to ease up: FOX 47 meteorologist Bryan Bachman.
"January is usually our coldest month on average as well as our snowiest month in the greater Lansing area. Then temperatures slowly come up a little bit in February and in March, and the average snow amounts per month also start to dwindle off. But of course that's never a guarantee," Bachman said.
Mazzolini says even without the weather, the first few months of the year are a critical time for small businesses to stay afloat.
"A lot of places, that's when they go under, January, February. Because they didn't have a great Christmas and all of a sudden no business in January February," Mazzolini said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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