POLL: Are You Glad or Sad Winter is Wimpy So Far?

Show of hands: Who went out without gloves this week or rode with a car window open?

You're not alone. January just went out like a lamb, a two-months-early calendar twist that's unusual here. So is an average Metro Detroit winter temperature of 30.7 degrees, six weeks into the season, and snowfall barely above nine inches – compared to nearly 18 inches in January 2011.

"It is surprising," National Weather Service meteorologist said this week from the monitoring station at White Lake. It recorded a Tuesday reading of 56 degrees and forecasts high temperatures of 40-44 degrees through Monday.

In Rochester, unseasonal weather won’t stop a Snow Daze benefit for the Animal Care Network this Saturday afternoon. "We plan to host our annual Snow Daze Charity Softball Game whether there is snow or not,"  says.

But the warm and snowless weather has forced the cancellation of several other winter-themed festivals, including the annual  at .

"We put a lot of time, effort and money into planning these things, so we don’t like to see it canceled, but when you have a snow event and you have no snow, you have to cancel. We need a good 8-10 inch base of snow, and we're not going to make snow," said Parks and Recreation public information coordinator Susan Reeves.

How you feel about current conditions may depend on whether you're a winter sports enthusiast or someone who's eager to stash the boots, parkas, hats and shovel.

So which is it: Do you hope for more of the same this month or at least one real reminder that we live near the country's northern rim?

After voting in the poll, please post a comment telling what you like most or least about this season's opening half. Have you enjoyed a motorcycle, bike or convertible, maybe even golfed? Does your family miss sledding, skating, skiing or snowmobiling?

Will you hesitate to pay a seasonal rate for plowing again? Are lower heat bills a lucky break in tight times?

West Bloomfield weekend weather forecast

Friday: Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 42 degrees. Calm wind becoming north around 5 m.p.h. 

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. North northeast wind between 3-6 m.p.h. 

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Northeast wind around 5 m.p.h. becoming calm. 

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Calm wind becoming west northwest around 5 m.p.h. 

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. 

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. 

Looking ahead to Monday is more of the same: mostly sunny, with a high around 40.

Forecast courtesy of the National Weather Service. Tim Rath contributed to this report.