Despite it being the middle of winter, residents were out enjoying the sunny skies and walking the Grand Haven pier on Sunday like it was summer.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the area on Sunday neared 40, and weather experts said this has been a theme seen throughout this winter.

“Overall, it has been one of the warmest winters on record,” WZZM-TV meteorologist Aaron Ofseyer said.

Despite these warm temperatures, Ofseyer said that there still has been measurable snow in West Michigan since winter began in December.

“It’s been 40-45 inches depending on where you are in West Michigan,” he said of the snow totals.

Locally, according to data from the National Weather Service, the Muskegon area has seen 44.6 inches of snow since Dec. 1, 2011. This is nearly 27 inches less than normal and about half as much snow as the area received last year at this time.

“I think that’s a testament to the overall nature of winter,” Ofseyer said.

Ofseyer said that the Grand Rapids area wasn’t far behind its seasonal average, as it was only about 13 inches behind.

This roller-coaster weather ride is expected to continue this week.

“It’ll be much of the same — up and down like the last several months,” Ofseyer said.

According to the forecast by WZZM-TV for the area, today will be sunny with highs near 35. For the remainder of the week, there will be wintry mixes on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Highs are expected to be in the mid 30s to upper 40s.