ZCZC ARBCLMMQT CSUS53 KMQT 030116 MONTHLY CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 815 PM EST WED JAN 2 2002 ...DECEMBER 2001 MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR UPPER MICHIGAN... ...WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES DESPITE COLDER WEATHER LATE... DECEMBER CLIMATE STATISTICS FOR THE MARQUETTE NWS IN NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP NORMAL DEPARTURE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 25.9 18.2 PLUS 7.7 AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE 32.0 25.4 PLUS 6.6 AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE 19.8 11.0 PLUS 8.8 HEATING DEGREE DAYS 1205 1445 MINUS 240 COOLING DEGREE DAYS 0 0 0 TOTAL PRECIPITATION 1.66 2.47 MINUS 0.81 TOTAL SNOWFALL 37.4 36.6 PLUS 0.8 HIGHEST TEMPERATURE: 52 ON 12/5 LOWEST TEMPERATURE: 6 ON 12/26 GREATEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION: 0.40 ON 12/29 GREATEST 24 HOUR PRECIPITATION: 0.41 ON 12/28-12/29 GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL: 13.0 ON 12/24 GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL: 13.6 ON 12/23-12/24 PEAK WIND SPEED: 62 MPH FROM THE WEST ON 12/6 DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE ON 12/5: 52 (OLD RECORD 46...1998) DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE ON 12/10: 40 (39...1984) DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE TIED ON 12/11: 41 (41...1998) DAILY RECORD HIGH LOW TEMPERATURE ON 12/12: 34 (33...1968) DAILY RECORD HIGH LOW TEMPERATURE ON 12/16: 35 (31...1977) DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 12/24: 13.0 INCHES (12.6...2000) DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 12/29: 11.5 INCHES ( 7.0...1966) DECEMBER CLIMATE HIGHLIGHTS THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES THAT BROUGHT RECORD WARMTH TO UPPER MICHIGAN DURING NOVEMBER REMAINED DOMINANT THROUGH MUCH OF DECEMBER. A PERSISTENT WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ADVECTED MAINLY PACIFIC AIR INTO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES...WITH ONLY A FEW INTRUSIONS OF COLDER AIR WHEN THE UPPER FLOW TURNED BRIEFLY NORTHWEST. IN FACT WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 30.7 DEGREES...THE FIRST 19 DAYS OF DECEMBER 2001 GO DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE SECOND WARMEST 19 DAY STRETCH EVER AT THE MARQUETTE NWS. ONLY 12/1 TO 12/19 IN 1998 (AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 31.9 DEGREES) WAS WARMER. DECEMBER 2001 ENDED UP BEING THE SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD AT THE MARQUETTE NWS IN NEGAUNEE WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 25.9 DEGREES WHICH WAS 8.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ONLY 1994 WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 27.5 DEGREES WAS WARMER. IT WAS THE SECOND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD FOR IRON MOUNTAIN WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 27.6 DEGREES AND WAS THE SECOND LEAST SNOWY DECEMBER EVER FOR IRON MOUNTAIN. IRONWOOD HAD THE SEVENTH WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT 24.6 DEGREES AND FIFTH SNOWIEST DECEMBER EVER. FIVE RECORD HIGH MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE SET OR TIED AT THE MARQUETTE NWS DURING THIS PERIOD...BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 18 RECORD HIGH MINIMUMS OR MAXIMUMS SET OR TIED SINCE 11/1. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE EVERYDAY AT THE MARQUETTE NWS FROM 10/31 TO 12/24 HAD AN ABOVE NORMAL MEAN TEMPERATURE...AN INCREDIBLE STREAK OF 55 DAYS. BIG CHANGES IN THE UPPER AIR PATTERN BEGAN AFTER THE START OF WINTER ON 12/21. A DEEPENING TROUGH DEVELOPED OVER THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES AND BROUGHT A STRONG STORM THAT AFFECTED WESTERN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN ON 12/22. THIS BROUGHT A RAIN AND SNOW MIX TO THE AREA WITH THE COLD AIR BEHIND THE STORM ARRIVING DURING THE MORNING OF 12/23. WHEN THE COLD AIR ARRIVED...ON THE 23RD...THE PRECIPITATION CHANGED OVER TO ALL SNOW. THE COLD AIR THEN REMAINED FIRMLY ENTRENCHED THROUGH 12/31 AND CAUSED A PROLONGED LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT THAT LASTED THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR AND BROUGHT HEAVY SNOWFALL TO PARTS OF THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BELTS. SOME OTHER TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OBSERVATIONS ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN IN DECEMBER 2001 INCLUDE: IRON MOUNTAIN...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 27.6 (8.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL) (WARMEST DECEMBER EVER...28.5 IN 1997) PRECIPITATION 1.22 INCHES (0.24 INCH BELOW NORMAL) SNOWFALL 3.2 INCHES (11.5 INCHES BELOW NORMAL) (LEAST SNOWIEST DECEMBER EVER...2.1 IN 1994) NEWBERRY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 29 (ABOUT 7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL) PRECIPITATION 3.98 INCHES (1.95 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) SNOWFALL 27.1 INCHES (3.4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) WATTON (BARAGA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 25.5 DEGREES PRECIPITATION 1.95 INCHES SNOWFALL 38.3 INCHES MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 28.3 DEGREES (5.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL) PRECIPITATION 2.84 INCHES (1.00 INCH BELOW NORMAL) SNOWFALL 42.8 INCHES (3.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL) BARK RIVER (DELTA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 31.0 DEGREES PRECIPITATION 0.84 INCHES SNOWFALL 3.5 INCHES IRONWOOD...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 24.6 DEGREES (7.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL) (WARMEST DECEMBER EVER 1939...28.9) PRECIPITATION 2.81 INCHES (0.65 INCH ABOVE NORMAL) SNOWFALL 68.7 INCHES (37.8 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) (SNOWIEST DECEMBER EVER 1968...89.0) DECEMBER WEATHER SUMMARY A SERIES OF FAST MOVING...MAINLY DRY DISTURBANCES INFLUENCED UPPER MICHIGAN THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF DECEMBER. THERE WAS UP TO AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW EARLY ON 12/1 AS ONE OF THESE SYSTEMS PASSED JUST TO THE SOUTH OF UPPER MICHIGAN...BUT THE MAIN IMPACT OF THESE FAST MOVING DISTURBANCES WAS TO GRADUALLY ERODE THE SHALLOW COLD AIR THAT HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOLLOWING THE SNOW AT THE END OF NOVEMBER. SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING OVER 30 MPH AHEAD OF EACH OF THE LOW PRESSURE TROUGHS CAUSED TEMPERATURES EACH DAY TO RISE A BIT HIGHER THAN THE DAY BEFORE DESPITE CONSIDERABLE LOW CLOUD AND FOG AS MOISTER AIR FLOWED OVER THE LINGERING SNOW PACK. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON 12/1 WERE GENERALLY IN THE 30S...BUT BY 12/3 AND 12/4 READINGS HAD RISEN INTO THE 40S...AND AS HIGH AS THE 50S AT MENOMINEE AND ESCANABA...WHERE NO SNOW WAS ON THE GROUND. THESE HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE UP TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER ENSURED LOW TEMPERATURES WERE ALSO WELL ABOVE THE SEASONAL NORM...AND THE LOW AT SILVER CITY IN ONTONAGON COUNTY COULD FALL NO LOWER THAN 40 ON THE MORNING OF 12/4. A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPING IN THE PLAINS RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED ON 12/5 AND MOVED INTO MINNESOTA BY LATE IN THE DAY. SINCE THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER MOVED WELL WEST OF UPPER MICHIGAN...THE STRENGTHENING SOUTH WIND AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM DREW RECORD WARM AND VERY MOIST AIR INTO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES. TEMPERATURES DURING THE AFTERNOON ROSE INTO THE 50S EVERYWHERE...AND EVEN AS HIGH AS 62 AT STEPHENSON IN MENOMINEE COUNTY. SO ALL THE PRECIPITATION FELL AS RAIN...AND UP TO 0.90 INCH DOUSED WATERSMEET IN GOGEBIC COUNTY. THERE WERE EVEN RARE DECEMBER THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF UPPER MICHIGAN LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE STORM'S COLD FRONT PLOWED EAST INTO THE WARM AND MOIST AIR. THE MOST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BOMBARDED IRON MOUNTAIN AND FELCH IN DICKINSON COUNTY WITH PENNY SIZED HAIL. BUT THE WORSE ASPECT OF THE STORM SYSTEM WAS THE STRONG WEST WINDS THAT DEVELOPED AFTER THE COLD FRONT HAD MOVED BY. MANY PLACES OBSERVED WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH...AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES FELLED...ESPECIALLY OVER THE EXPOSED KEWEENAW PENINSULA. STORM FORCE WINDS WERE REPORTED OVER LAKE SUPERIOR...AND STANNARD ROCK LIGHTHOUSE IN SOUTH CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR MEASURED A WIND GUST AS HIGH AS 83 MPH. THE STRONG WESTERLY FLOW BEHIND THE LOW RETURNED COLDER AIR TO UPPER MICHIGAN...AND READINGS FELL AS LOW AS 27 AT IRONWOOD BY DAWN ON 12/6. THE STRONG WINDS DIMINISHED RAPIDLY EARLY ON 12/6 AS THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER MOVED FARTHER NORTH INTO CANADA AND A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SETTLED OVER THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES. WITH SOME SUNSHINE...AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES RECOVERED INTO THE 35 TO 45 RANGE. ALTHOUGH THE TEMPERATURES ON 12/6 WERE QUITE A BIT LOWER THAN ON 12/5...THESE READINGS WERE STILL 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR EARLY DECEMBER. THE HIGH REMAINED IN CONTROL ON 12/7...AND TEMPERATURES WERE CLOSER TO NORMAL DESPITE SOME SUNSHINE AS THE CORE OF THE COLDEST AIR PASSED JUST TO THE NORTH. A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM THE PLAINS BROUGHT A RETURN OF CLOUDS AND SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION ON 12/8. UP TO 2 OR 3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA AND IN ALGER COUNTY BEFORE THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE WAKE OF THE TROUGH DIMINISHED DURING THE EVENING OF 12/8. THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF UPPER MICHIGAN SAW LITTLE IF ANY PRECIPITATION. THERE WERE EVEN SOME SPRINKLES MIXED WITH THE FLURRIES NEAR THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE AS TEMPERATURES ROSE TO NEAR 40 AT MANISTIQUE IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OFF THE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. AS HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWING THE TROUGH CLEARED SKIES DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF 12/9...TEMPERATURES OVER THE INTERIOR WEST AND CENTRAL FELL WELL INTO THE TEENS...ALMOST NORMAL FOR THE DATE. THE PERIOD FROM 12/9 THROUGH 12/12 WAS VERY TRANQUIL AS A ZONAL FLOW ALOFT ADVECTED DRY...PACIFIC AIR INTO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES REMAINED 10 TO AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES ABOVE THE SEASONAL NORM...WITH HIGHS RISING INTO THE 30S AND 40S ALL OF THESE DAYS. IN FACT...THE MARQUETTE NWS BROKE A DAILY RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE ON 12/10 WITH AN AFTERNOON READING OF 40...AND THEN TIED THE DAILY STANDARD ON 12/11 AS THE THERMOMETER ROSE TO 41. A LOW PRESSURE AREA MOVING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CENTRAL LAKES BROUGHT A RETURN OF PRECIPITATION TO EAST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN DURING EARLY 12/13. TEMPERATURES WERE HIGH ENOUGH AS THE STORM SYSTEM APPROACHED SO THAT THE PRECIPITATION FELL PRIMARILY AS RAIN. SLIGHTLY COLDER AIR FILTERED INTO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES AND CHANGED THE RAIN OVER TO SNOW BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION ENDED...BUT ACCUMULATIONS WERE GENERALLY UNDER AN INCH. ALTHOUGH MANISTIQUE REPORTED THE MOST LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION WITH 0.41 INCH... THE MOST SNOW FELL AT SPALDING IN MENOMINEE COUNTY...WHERE 2 INCHES ACCUMULATED. THE WESTERN COUNTIES WERE TOO FAR WEST OF THE LOW TRACK...AND THESE PLACES MISSED OUT COMPLETELY ON THE PRECIPITATION. A MODERATELY CHILLY AIRMASS FOLLOWED INTO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES ON 12/14. LOW TEMPERATURES OVER INLAND AREAS FELL AS LOW AS THE MID TEENS...BUT READINGS RECOVERED TO AT OR ABOVE FREEZING WITH AT LEAST PARTIAL SUNSHINE DURING THE AFTERNOON...WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE SEASON. HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT ANOTHER DRY...MILD DAY ON 12/15. MORE PRECIPITATION RETURNED ON 12/16 AS A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVED IN FROM THE PLAINS. TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S AND 40S...15 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...KEPT ALL THE PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF RAIN. PHOENIX IN KEWEENAW COUNTY REPORTED THE MOST RAIN WITH 0.57 INCH. THE RAIN ENDED LATE ON 12/16. BUT THE DRY PUSH BEHIND THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER WAS QUITE WEAK...AND CLOUDS LINGERED THROUGH 12/17. ALTHOUGH THE DAY TURNED COLDER WITH LOW TEMPERATURES DROPPING INTO THE 20S...READINGS REMAINED OVER 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT SOME CLEARING ON 12/18 AND CONTINUED ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT EARLY ON 12/19 BROUGHT A RETURN OF CLOUDS AND SOME LIGHT SNOW. ALTHOUGH THE COLD AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT WAS STILL WARMER THAN THE SEASONAL NORM...THE AIR WAS QUITE MOIST...AND LAKE EFFECT SNOW DEVELOPED OVER THE SNOW BELTS OVER WESTERN AND EAST CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. BY THE TIME THE SNOW WOUND DOWN ON 12/20...A SWATH OF HIGHER TERRAIN FROM ONTONAGON TO KEWEENAW COUNTY AND AN AREA IN CENTRAL ALGER AND NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTY HAD PICKED UP AS MUCH AS 8 INCHES OF SNOW. THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM OCCURRED ON 12/21 AS A LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT WOUND DOWN AND COLD AIR WAS GRADUALLY BEING REPLACED WITH A WARMER AIRMASS. SNOW AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY LIGHT WITH AMOUNTS LESS THAN 2 INCHES WITH THE EXCEPTION AT SHINGLETON WHICH REPORTED 3.6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL. A STORM ORGANIZED IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON 12/22 AND HEADED TOWARDS THE U.P. AND TEMPERATURES WARMED BACK INTO THE MID 30S TO MID 40S ACROSS THE AREA WHICH WAS 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS RAIN ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EAST AND A RAIN/SNOW MIX IN THE WEST AS THE AREA WAS IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE STORM. RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM .05 TO .50 INCH WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNT 0F .45 INCH REPORTED AT COPPER HARBOR. SNOWFALL TOTALS REMAINED LIGHT OVER GOGEBIC AND ONTONAGON COUNTIES WITH 2 INCHES REPORTED AT IRONWOOD. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM MOVED THROUGH THE U.P. DURING THE EARLY MORNING OF 12/23 AND DROPPED TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE 20S...WHICH WAS STILL ABOVE NORMAL. THE PRECIPITATION CHANGED OVER TO ALL SNOW BEHIND THE FRONT. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WERE LIGHTEST IN THE EAST AS THE COLD AIR ENTERED THAT AREA LAST AND THE WEST SAW THE MOST SNOW AS THE LAKE EFFECT SNOWS BEGAN WITH 6 INCHES OF SNOW IN GOGEBIC COUNTY WITH ROCKLAND REPORTING 6.5 INCHES OF SNOW FOR THE HEAVIEST AMOUNT REPORTED. FROM 12/24 TO 12/31...A PROLONGED LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT OCCURRED WITH HEAVY AMOUNTS OF SNOWFALL REPORTED EACH DAY IN AREAS OF THE LAKE SUPERIOR SNOWBELTS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN A FEW AREAS WERE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION WHICH WAS NORTH OR NORTHWEST. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS TIME WERE IN THE TEENS AND 20S WITH LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS. THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES WERE FOUND CLOSEST TO LAKE SUPERIOR. THIS COLD OUTBREAK WAS THE COLDEST AIRMASS OF THE YEAR SO FAR...BUT WAS NOT RECORD SETTING. IT DID BRING SOME RECORD SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE REGION THOUGH. NWS MARQUETTE SET A DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD OF 13.0 INCHES OF SNOW ON 12/24 WHICH BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 12.6 INCHES WHICH HAPPENED THE YEAR BEFORE ON CHRISTMAS EVE IN 2000. ON 12/24...IRONWOOD HAD 17.5 INCHES OF SNOW...WAKEFIELD 11 INCHES...MARENISCO 10 INCHES...WATERSMEET 12.5 INCHES AND SHINGLETON 10.2 INCHES. ON 12/25...IRONWOOD PICKED UP ANOTHER 14.5 INCHES OF SNOW AND HAD 24 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND. BESSEMER HAD 10 INCHES...WAKEFIELD 12 INCHES AND ROCKLAND REPORTED 21.1 INCHES OF SNOW. ALGER AND LUCE COUNTIES ALSO REPORTED HEAVY SNOW WITH TWO HEART REPORTING 9 INCHES OF SNOW...GRAND MARAIS 6 INCHES OF SNOW AND JUST SOUTH OF MUNISING SAW 13.7 INCHES OF SNOW. MARQUETTE ENDED 12/25 WITH A NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE TEMPERATURE HAD BEEN AT OR BELOW NORMAL SINCE OCTOBER 30TH. ON 12/26...THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW LET UP SLIGHTLY IN INTENSITY WITH THE MOST REPORTED AT TWO HEART WITH 4 INCHES IN THE EAST. ATLANTIC MINE REPORTED 8-10 INCHES OF SNOW AND 6 INCHES WERE REPORTED AT TOIVOLA. WAKEFIELD REPORTED 8 INCHES OF SNOW. THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON OCCURRED WITH LOW TEMPERATURES DROPPING TO 6 DEGREES AT MARQUETTE AND 9 AT SAWYER AIRPORT AND AT IRON MOUNTAIN. MARQUETTE ALSO RECORDED ITS FIRST DAY OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES SINCE OCTOBER 30TH. ON 12/27...LAKE EFFECT SNOW CONTINUED WITH TWO HEART REPORTING 15 INCHES...MELSTRAND 13 INCHES...AND WAKEFIELD REPORTED 12 INCHES. ON 12/28...LAKE EFFECT SNOW CONTINUED TO PILE UP. SNOW DEPTHS AT IRONWOOD WERE REPORTED AT 29 INCHES...SHINGLETON REPORTED A 20 INCH SNOWDEPTH...PHOENIX HAD A 19 INCH SNOW DEPTH AND TWO HEART HAD AN 18 INCH SNOW DEPTH. ROCKLAND HAD 10.2 INCHES OF NEW SNOW...WAKEFIELD HAD 10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW...AU TRAIN 24 INCHES...MELSTRAND 9.8 INCHES. ON 12/29...HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW CONTINUED IN PLACES. NWS MARQUETTE IN NEGAUNEE HAD A DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD OF 11.5 INCHES WHICH BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 7.0 INCHES SET IN 1966 AND THIS SEEMED TO BE THE HEAVIEST AMOUNT REPORTED. PHOENIX REPORTED 7.5 INCHES AND WETMORE HAD 7.0 INCHES. SHINGLETON REPORTED A 27 INCH SNOW DEPTH. ON 12/30...LAKE EFFECT SNOW CONTINUED. MUNISING HAD 7.0 INCHES. SHINGLETON REPORTED A SNOW DEPTH OF 33 INCHES ON THE GROUND...IRONWOOD 29 INCHES...PHOENIX AND TWO HEART BOTH REPORTED 18 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND. HOUGHTON AND MUNISING HAD 19 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND. WAKEFIELD REPORTED 72 INCHES OF SNOW OUT OF THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT FROM 12/23-12/30. GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS (FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL) LAKE SUPERIOR LAKE MICHIGAN-HURON 12/1/01 DAILY MEAN 601.4 577.6 12/31/01 DAILY MEAN 601.3 577.5 AVG NOV 2001 DAILY MEAN 601.4 577.5 AVG DEC 2000 DAILY MEAN 600.6 576.8 AVG 1918-98 DEC DAILY MEAN 601.8 578.7 MAXIMUM DEC DAILY MEAN 603.1 (1985) 581.6 (1986) MINIMUM DEC DAILY MEAN 600.1 (1925) 576.2 (1964) GREAT LAKES WATER LEVEL DATA AS REPORTED BY THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AT HTTP://HURON.LRE.USACE.ARMY.MIL/HMPGHH.HTML (ALL LOWER CASE). JANUARY CLIMATOLOGY ALTHOUGH DAYLIGHT BEGINS TO INCREASE THROUGH JANUARY (519 MINUTES OF POSSIBLE SUNSHINE ON 1/1 TO 576 MINUTES ON 1/31)...TEMPERATURES CONTINUE THEIR DOWNWARD SLIDE IN JANUARY AS ARCTIC AIRMASSES MAKE FREQUENT VISITS TO UPPER MICHIGAN. IN FACT...JANUARY IS THE COLDEST MONTH AT ALL REPORTING STATIONS...WITH AVERAGE TEMPERATURES 5 TO 6 DEGREES LOWER THAN IN DECEMBER. THE COLDEST FIRST MONTH IN RECENT MEMORY WAS JANUARY 1994...WHEN TEMPERATURES ACROSS ALL OF UPPER MICHIGAN AVERAGED ABOUT 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AND THE MERCURY NEVER ROSE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK. JANUARY 1994 GOES DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE COLDEST EVER AT THE MARQUETTE NWS (AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 2.8)...IRON MOUNTAIN (3.0)... THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT (4.9)...MANISTIQUE (5.8)...ONTONAGON (5.8)...AND MUNISING (7.8). NEWBERRY RECORDED ITS SECOND COLDEST JANUARY IN 1994 (5.3)...AND IRONWOOD ITS FOURTH COLDEST (-0.3). WATER PIPES FROZE IN A NUMBER OF HOMES THROUGHOUT UPPER MICHIGAN THAT COLD MONTH. BOTH IRONWOOD AND NEWBERRY...WHERE RECORDS GO BACK TO THE EARLY 1900S...SAW THEIR COLDEST JANUARY IN 1912...WHEN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE A FRIGID -5.3 AND 2.7 RESPECTIVELY. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN...JANUARY 1990 WAS ONE OF THE WARMEST ON RECORD...IN FACT THE WARMEST EVER RECORDED AT MANISTIQUE (25.4)...MUNISING (25.3)...ONTONAGON (24.3)...THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT (23.2)...THE MARQUETTE NWS (22.0)...AND IRON MOUNTAIN (21.0). NEWBERRY ENJOYED ITS THIRD WARMEST JANUARY (24.0)...BUT JANUARY 1990 WAS ONLY THE TENTH WARMEST AT IRONWOOD (18.8). JANUARY IS THE SNOWIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR AT MOST LOCATIONS. THE PASSAGE OF ARCTIC AIR OVER THE TYPICALLY UNFROZEN LAKE SUPERIOR RESULTS IN CONSIDERABLE LAKE EFFECT SNOW. AS THE COLD AIR PASSES OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF THE LAKE...THE AIRMASS BECOMES INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE. THE RESULT IS A GREATER FREQUENCY OF LOW CLOUD AND SNOW SHOWERS...WHICH ARE TYPICALLY HEAVIER AND MORE WIDESPREAD OVER HIGHER TERRAIN JUST DOWNWIND OF LAKE SUPERIOR. THE LOCATION OF MAXIMUM SNOWFALL IS VERY DEPENDENT ON THE LOW LEVEL WIND DIRECTION BECAUSE THE LONGEST WIND FETCH ACROSS THE WATER RESULTS IN GREATEST DESTABILIZATION. A WEST WIND FAVORS THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA; A NORTHWEST WIND USUALLY RESULTS IN HEAVIER SNOW AROUND ONTONAGON AND IN ALGER AND LUCE COUNTIES; AND A NORTH TO NORTHEAST WIND CAUSES THE HEAVIEST SNOW AROUND IRONWOOD AND IN THE NORTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF BARAGA AND MARQUETTE COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH LARGE SCALE STORM SYSTEMS THAT TYPICALLY MOVE NORTHEAST FROM THE PLAINS STATES INTO THE GREAT LAKES CAN ALSO BRING HEAVY SNOW TO INLAND LOCATIONS...AVERAGE JANUARY PRECIPITATION IS QUITE A BIT LESS AWAY FROM LAKE SUPERIOR. FOR INSTANCE...THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT PICKS UP 62.8 INCHES OF SNOW AND 3.71 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION DURING A TYPICAL JANUARY. IRON MOUNTAIN RECEIVES ONLY 15.0 INCHES OF SNOW AND 1.25 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION ON AVERAGE. WHILE RECORD SNOWS AT INLAND LOCATIONS ARE TYPICALLY AROUND 50 INCHES... LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVE BOTH LAKE EFFECT AND SYNOPTIC SNOW CAN PICK UP 100 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF. IN JANUARY 1997...106.3 INCHES FELL AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT...100.7 INCHES AT IRONWOOD... 91.7 INCHES AT THE MARQUETTE NWS...AND 88.7 INCHES AT MUNISING. DURING DRY AND/OR WARM YEARS...MONTHLY SNOWFALL MAY NOT EXCEED 12 INCHES AT MANY LOCATIONS. IRON MOUNTAIN PICKED UP ONLY 2.3 INCHES OF SNOW IN JANUARY 1961...EVEN THOUGH THE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS NEAR NORMAL. AN ACTIVE STORM TRACK THAT YEAR TOO FAR TO THE SOUTH LEFT MUCH OF UPPER MICHIGAN AWAY FROM LAKE SUPERIOR HIGH AND DRY (TOTAL LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION AT IRON MOUNTAIN WAS ONLY 0.12 INCHES). DURING A RELATIVELY DRY AND MILD JANUARY 1973 WHEN THERE WERE FEW ARCTIC INVASIONS...THE MARQUETTE NWS RECORDED ONLY 12.0 INCHES OF SNOW. THE RECORD LOW JANUARY SNOWFALL AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT IS 27.7 INCHES (1968). JANUARY FORECAST THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR UPPER MICHIGAN DURING JANUARY 2002. WATER TEMPERATURES IN THE EQUATORIAL EASTERN PACIFIC ARE NEAR NORMAL...SO NO EL NINO/LA NINA INFLUENCE WILL IMPACT UPPER MICHIGAN WEATHER. OUTLOOK FOR LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION OVER UPPER MICHIGAN FOR THE PERIOD FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL 2002. WATER TEMPERATURES IN THE EQUATORIAL EASTERN PACIFIC ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEAR NORMAL. CHECK OUT HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER AND MORE LONG RANGE PREDICTIONS. NOTE THAT STATISTICS FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP ARE BASED ON RECORDS WHICH BEGAN IN OCTOBER 1961. THIRTY YEAR NORMALS USED ARE FOR THE PERIOD OF 1969 THROUGH 1998. NOTE ALL TEMPERATURES ARE IN FAHRENHEIT AND PRECIPITATION IS IN INCHES. NWS MARQUETTE WEB PAGE IS AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/MQT/INDEX.HTM (ALL LOWER CASE). KC/MICHELS NNNN