ZCZC ARBCLMMQT CSUS53 KMQT 220051 CCA MONTHLY CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARY...CORRECTED FOR NEWBERRY PRECIP NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 850 PM EDT SUN APR 21 2002 ...MARCH 2002 MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR UPPER MICHIGAN... ...WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES... ...SECOND COLDEST MARCH ON RECORD AT IRONWOOD... ...THIRD COLDEST MARCH ON RECORD AT THE MARQUETTE NWS... ...COLDEST MARCH AT MICHIGAN TECH SINCE 1993... ...WELL ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL AND PRECIPITATION EXCEPT THE SOUTH... ...SNOWIEST MARCH ON RECORD AT IRONWOOD... ...SNOWIEST AND WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD AT NEWBERRY... ...SNOWIEST AND THIRD WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD AT THE MARQUETTE NWS... ...SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD AND 300 INCH MARK SURPASSED AT THE MARQUETTE NWS... ...SNOWIEST AND THIRD WETTEST MARCH AT MICHIGAN TECH SINCE 1993... MARCH CLIMATE STATISTICS FOR THE MARQUETTE NWS IN NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP NORMAL DEPARTURE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 17.8 24.6 MINUS 6.8 AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE 28.6 34.4 MINUS 5.8 AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE 6.9 14.7 MINUS 7.8 HEATING DEGREE DAYS 1456 1283 PLUS 173 COOLING DEGREE DAYS 0 0 0 TOTAL PRECIPITATION 5.71 3.13 PLUS 2.58 TOTAL SNOWFALL 83.1 31.8 PLUS 51.3 HIGHEST TEMPERATURE: 47 ON 3/29 LOWEST TEMPERATURE: -12 ON 3/3 AND 3/4 GREATEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION: 1.30 ON 3/15 GREATEST 24 HOUR PRECIPITATION: 1.72 ON 3/14-3/15 GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL: 12.8 ON 3/15 GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL: 17.9 ON 3/14-3/15 PEAK WIND SPEED: 53 MPH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON 3/9 DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 3/3: 10.4 (OLD RECORD 5.4...1989) DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 3/8: 9.1 (7.9...1995) DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION ON 3/8: 0.95 (0.42...1988) DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION ON 3/9: 0.96 (0.94...2000) DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION ON 3/15: 1.30 (1.14...1971) DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 3/15: 12.8 (6.5...1971) RECORD SEASONAL SNOWFALL 300.6 (272.2...1996/97) RECORD MARCH SNOWFALL 83.1 (60.6...MARCH 1976) MARCH CLIMATE HIGHLIGHTS ALTHOUGH THE CALENDAR INDICATED THE WEATHER SHOULD BE GETTING WARMER...OLD MAN WINTER INCREASED HIS ICY GRIP ON UPPER MICHIGAN DURING MARCH 2002...AND THE LAST MONTH OF WINTER 2001-02 TURNED OUT TO BE THE COLDEST AT ALL REPORTING STATIONS. PERSISTENT COLD AND HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS CANADA IN TANDEM WITH A HIGH AMPLITUDE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES ALLOWED THE MOST FRIGID AIRMASSES OF THE SEASON TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES DURING THE FIRST AND FOURTH WEEKS OF MARCH. AFTER A RECORD OR NEAR RECORD WARM NOVEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY...A NUMBER OF PLACES RECORDED A TOP FIVE COLDEST MARCH EVER. IN FACT...MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY'S MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 20.0 DEGREES IS THE LOWEST THERE EVER. BUT RECORDS AT THIS SITE GO BACK ONLY TO LATE 1993. THE LOWEST MARCH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE EVER AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT IS 17.6 DEGREES... OBSERVED IN 1960 AND 1972. MARCH 2002 TURNED OUT TO BE THE SECOND COLDEST ON RECORD AT IRONWOOD...WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 16.7 DEGREES SECOND FIDDLE ONLY TO THE 16.1 OBSERVED IN 1996. THE COMBINATION OF THE COLD AIR AND AN ACTIVE STORM TRACK THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES RESULTED IN A SECOND CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF WELL ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. SNOWFALL WAS PARTICULARLY HEAVY IN THE LAKE EFFECT SNOWBELTS DOWNWIND OF LAKE SUPERIOR...AND THE MARQUETTE NWS (TOTAL 83.1...OLD RECORD 60.6 IN 1976)...NEWBERRY (68.5...39.4 IN 1923)...AND IRONWOOD (60.8...52.0 IN 1917) RECORDED THEIR SNOWIEST MARCH EVER. FOR THE FIRST TIME...THE MARQUETTE NWS ALSO OBSERVED MORE THAN 300 INCHES OF SNOW DURING A SINGLE SEASON AND BACK-TO-BACK MONTHLY RECORD SNOWFALLS (THE FEBRUARY SNOWFALL OF 91.9 INCHES IS ALSO THE HIGHEST TOTAL FOR ANY MONTH). WITH 45.3 INCHES OF SNOW...MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY ENDURED THEIR SNOWIEST MARCH AS WELL. THE SNOWIEST MARCH ON RECORD AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT IS THE 63.5 INCHES THAT FELL IN 1976. LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION TOTALS AT MOST PLACES NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR WERE AMONG THE TOP FIVE HIGHEST EVER. THE 7.67 INCHES OF WATER EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION AT NEWBERRY EASILY BEAT OUT THE 6.17 INCHES OBSERVED IN MARCH 1977 TO REGISTER MARCH 2002 AS THE WETTEST THIRD MONTH ON RECORD THERE. THE MARQUETTE NWS ALSO RECORDED ANOTHER THREE CALENDAR DAY WATER EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION AND THREE CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL RECORDS THE MONTH AFTER ESTABLISHING FOUR SIMILAR PRECIPITATION AND THREE SNOWFALL RECORDS IN FEBRUARY. EVEN FAR INLAND AT IRON MOUNTAIN... MARCH 2002 GOES DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE TENTH WETTEST THIRD MONTH EVER. THE ONLY PLACE THAT SAW BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION WAS ACROSS THE FAR SOUTH CENTRAL...WHERE BARK RIVER RECORDED ONLY 0.80 INCHES OF WATER EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION. DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURES DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH AVERAGED AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AS ARCTIC AIR INTENSIFIED THE DEEP UPPER TROUGH THAT HAD DEVELOPED OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES DURING THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY. DURING THE COLD OUTBREAK BEHIND A STORM SYSTEM THAT DUMPED AS MUCH AS 20 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE MARQUETTE NWS ON 3/2 INTO 3/3...THE MERCURY PLUNGED TO 18 BELOW ZERO AT IRONWOOD ON 3/4. A PAIR OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BROUGHT A MIXED BAG OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION AND EVEN A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER TO THE NORTHWEST GREAT LAKES ON 3/7 INTO 3/9. UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATED AT WAKEFIELD IN GOGEBIC COUNTY ON 3/8 INTO 3/9...AND CALUMET RECORDED 18 INCHES OF SNOW ON 3/7 INTO 3/8. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPED ON 3/9 AND LINGERED INTO 3/10 AS NORTHWEST WINDS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH AT COPPER HARBOR DROVE ANOTHER COLD AIRMASS SOUTH FROM CANADA BEHIND THE SECOND AND MORE INTENSE LOW PRESSURE CENTER. THERE WAS A BRIEF PERIOD OF MODERATION JUST BEFORE MID MONTH...BUT ANOTHER BIG STORM SYSTEM DUMPED ANOTHER LOAD OF SNOW ON THE IDES OF MARCH. THE MARQUETTE NWS SAW ITS SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD FALL BY THE WAYSIDE ON 3/15 AS THIS STORM SYSTEM DROPPED AS MUCH AS 24 INCHES ON WHITE PINE IN ONTONAGON COUNTY. SNOWFALL RATES DURING THIS EVENT WERE INTENSIFIED BY EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER... THE SNOWFALL FROM ANOTHER ROUND OF LAKE EFFECT PUSHED THE MARCH 2002 ACCUMULATION PAST THE ALL TIME MARCH SNOWFALL RECORD AT THE MARQUETTE NWS. ALTHOUGH THE CALENDAR INDICATED SPRING HAD STARTED...ANOTHER BRUTALLY COLD AIRMASS PLUNGED UPPER MICHIGAN BACK INTO MID WINTER CHILL DURING THE WEEK OF 3/20 TO 3/26. DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURES WERE AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES BELOW THE AVERAGE DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE CHILL ON 3/24...AND THE THERMOMETER READ A FRIGID 15 BELOW ZERO AT IRONWOOD AT DAWN ON 3/25. ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES MODERATED DURING THE LAST COUPLE DAYS OF MARCH...THE SNOW DEPTH AT MONTHS END REMAINED ABOVE NORMAL IN THE SNOWBELTS AND AS HIGH AS 33 INCHES AT THE MARQUETTE NWS. ACROSS THE FAR SOUTH WHERE LESSER AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION AND SNOW HAD FALLEN DURING THE MONTH...THE GROUND WAS BARE OR NEARLY BARE. STEPHENSON IN MENOMINEE COUNTY RECORDED A SNOW DEPTH OF ZERO BEGINNING ON 3/25. SOME OTHER TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OBSERVATIONS ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN IN MARCH 2002 INCLUDE: IRON MOUNTAIN...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 22.6 (5.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL) PRECIPITATION 3.09 INCHES (1.26 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) SNOWFALL 15.5 INCHES (4.4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) NEWBERRY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 20 (ABOUT 5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL) PRECIPITATION 7.67 INCHES (5.86 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) SNOWFALL 68.5 INCHES (54.5 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) WATTON (BARAGA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 17.8 DEGREES PRECIPITATION 3.34 INCHES SNOWFALL 43.0 INCHES MICHIGAN TECH UNIVERSITY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 20.0 DEGREES PRECIPITATION 3.91 INCHES SNOWFALL 45.3 INCHES BARK RIVER (DELTA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 25.6 DEGREES PRECIPITATION 0.80 INCHES SNOWFALL 18.2 INCHES IRONWOOD...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 16.7 (8.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL) PRECIPITATION 4.10 INCHES (1.99 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) SNOWFALL 60.8 INCHES (37.6 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL) MARCH WEATHER SUMMARY MARCH ROARED IN LIKE A LION IN 2002. AS FEBRUARY TRANSITIONED INTO MARCH...THERE WERE SCATTERED HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS ONGOING FROM THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA ACROSS NORTHERN MARQUETTE COUNTY INTO ALGER COUNTY. BY THE TIME THE SNOW SHOWERS ENDED BY MID MORNING ON 3/1...13 INCHES OF SNOW HAD BLANKETED PHOENIX IN KEWEENAW COUNTY... AND 12 INCHES HAD FALLEN ON WETMORE IN ALGER AND BIG BAY IN MARQUETTE COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH THE SUN CAME OUT DURING THE AFTERNOON AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE MOVED IN FROM THE WEST...TEMPERATURES RECOVERED ONLY INTO THE 15 TO 25 RANGE DURING THE AFTERNOON. THIS HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BROUGHT ONLY A BRIEF RESPITE FROM WINTER WEATHER. AFTER A FRIGID MORNING ON 3/2 THAT SAW LOWS FALLING AS FAR AS 3 BELOW ZERO AT WATTON...INCREASING CLOUDS EARLY THAT DAY HERALDED THE APPROACH OF A STORM SYSTEM FROM THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. BY THE END OF THE DAY...HEAVY SNOW WAS FALLING ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN. BY THE TIME THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW IN THE WAKE OF THIS LOW DIMINISHED ON 3/3...19.8 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF HAD BURIED THE MARQUETTE NWS. SHINGLETON IN ALGER COUNTY RECORDED 13.4 INCHES... AND BOTH TWO HEART IN LUCE COUNTY AND MANISTIQUE TALLIED AN EVEN FOOT. ONE OF THE WORST ASPECTS OF THIS STORM WAS THE STRONG NORTH WINDS THAT OVERSPREAD UPPER MICHIGAN AND CAUSED EXTENSIVE BLOWING SNOW. GRAND MARAIS IN ALGER COUNTY CLOCKED THE HIGHEST WIND GUST AT 46 MPH. BITTERLY COLD AIR FOLLOWED AS WELL AS HIGH PRESSURE CLEARED THE SKIES...AND LOW TEMPERATURES BY DAWN ON 3/4 WERE DOWN TO 18 BELOW ZERO AT IRONWOOD AND STEPHENSON AND 12 BELOW AT THE MARQUETTE NWS. ALTHOUGH SKIES CLEARED OVER MOST OF UPPER MICHIGAN...LAKE EFFECT SNOW PERSISTED IN ALGER AND LUCE COUNTIES. TWO HEART RECORDED ANOTHER 6 INCHES OF SNOW DURING THE OVERNIGHT OF 3/3 TO 3/4. THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW ENDED EVERYWHERE ON 3/4 AS THE PASSAGE OF THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE TURNED WINDS MORE SOUTHWEST. BUT THIS SOUTHWEST FLOW WAS NOT A WARMING WIND...AND TEMPERATURES STRUGGLED NO HIGHER THAN 15 TO 25 ON 3/4. ANOTHER WEAK LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVED ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR DURING THE OVERNIGHT OF 3/4 INTO 3/5. ALTHOUGH THIS SYSTEM LACKED SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE...THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW THAT DEVELOPED IN THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA BECAME HEAVY AT TIMES. BY THE TIME THE SNOW ENDED ON THE MORNING OF 3/5...HIGHER TERRAIN BETWEEN HOUGHTON AND CALUMET HAD PICKED UP OVER A FOOT. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT A WELCOME RESPITE FROM WINTRY PRECIPITATION ON 3/6 INTO 3/7... BUT LOW TEMPERATURES BY DAWN ON 3/7 WERE MORE TYPICAL OF MID WINTER AS SKIES BECAME MOSTLY CLEAR. THE THERMOMETER REGISTERED A CHILLY 10 BELOW ZERO AT THE MARQUETTE NWS AND 9 BELOW AT IRONWOOD. THE WEATHER BEGAN TO GO DOWNHILL AGAIN LATE ON 3/7 AS YET ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM APPROACHED FROM THE SOUTHWEST. SNOW DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AS EARLY AS THE AFTERNOON. BY THE TIME THE SNOW ENDED EARLY ON 3/8...THERE WAS AT LEAST 10 INCHES FROM IRONWOOD TO THE MARQUETTE NWS AND THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA. CALUMET BEAT OUT ALL REPORTING STATIONS WITH 18 INCHES OF HEAVY...WET SNOW. ACROSS SOUTHERN UPPER MICHIGAN...ENOUGH WARM AIR ARRIVED IN THE STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW ABOVE THE SURFACE TO CHANGE THE SNOW TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. THERE WAS A BAND STRETCHING FROM SOUTHERN MENOMINEE COUNTY NORTHEAST TO SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTY THAT SAW AT LEAST A QUARTER INCH OF ICE. THE CITY OF MENOMINEE AND STONINGTON IN DELTA COUNTY MEASURED ONE HALF INCH OF GLAZE. THERE WERE EVEN A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE PRECIPITATION SHIELD THAT ACCENTUATED THE SNOWFALL AND FREEZING RAIN RATES. ANOTHER EVEN MORE POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE CENTER FOLLOWED QUICKLY ON THE HEELS OF THIS DEPARTING SYSTEM. DURING THE OVERNIGHT OF 3/8-3/9...FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND RAIN DEVELOPED ACROSS THE UPPER PENINSULA. SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS...UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH AT WAKEFIELD...FELL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA BY DAWN ON 3/9. THE PRECIPITATION THEN CHANGED TO RAIN DURING SATURDAY MORNING EXCEPT ALL ACROSS THE FAR WEST AS THE TEMPERATURE ROSE AS HIGH AS 45 IN DOWNTOWN MARQUETTE AND MENOMINEE. THE COMBINATION OF RAIN AND SNOWMELT LED TO MUCH PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS AND MADE TRAVEL QUITE DIFFICULT. AS THE RESPONSIBLE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVED INTO ONTARIO DURING THE AFTERNOON ON 3/9...A SHARP COLD FRONT DROVE ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN ON THE HEELS OF NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING OVER 50 MPH. MANY PLACES SAW THE MERCURY PLUMMET 20 DEGREES IN ONLY AN HOUR OR TWO. THE RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW...AND THE STANDING WATER ON ROADS QUICKLY FROZE. THE COMBINATION OF THE FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW CAUSED BY THE STRONG WINDS CAUSED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS...AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. DURING THE OVERNIGHT ON 3/9-3/10... THE STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED AS HIGH AS 61 MPH AT COPPER HARBOR AND CAUSED MANY POWER OUTAGES AS THE BLIZZARD RAGED. ALTHOUGH HARSH WINTER CONDITIONS LETUP OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THE AFTERNOON ON 3/10...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS LINGERED OVER THE EAST THROUGH THE DAY WITH VISIBILITY FREQUENTLY REDUCED UNDER ONE QUARTER MILE BY FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW. HIGH TEMPERATURES REMAINING IN THE TEENS AND WIND CHILLS WELL BELOW ZERO ADDED TO THE MISERY OF THE STORM. BY THE TIME THE SNOW FINALLY ENDED OVER THE EAST BY EARLY 3/11... NEWBERRY RECORDED A TOTAL OF 14 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF. HERMAN IN BARAGA COUNTY AND ROCKLAND IN ONTONAGON COUNTY BOTH SAW 11 INCHES OF WINDSWEPT SNOW. AREAS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN MISSED OUT ON MOST OF THE SNOW...BUT EVEN THERE BONE CHILLING NORTHWEST WIND GUSTS EXCEEDED 40 MPH. SKIES CLEARED DURING 3/11 AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVED IN FROM THE WEST. AS THE HIGH MOVED OVERHEAD OVERNIGHT ON 3/11 AND 3/12 AND WINDS DIMINISHED...TEMPERATURES DROPPED AS LOW AS 1 BELOW ZERO AT IRONWOOD. BUT WARMER AIR RETURNED ON 3/12 ONCE THE HIGH SHIFTED EAST AND A GUSTY SOUTH WIND DEVELOPED IN ADVANCE OF A QUICK MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS ONTARIO. THE MERCURY SOARED AS HIGH AS 48 AT SILVER CITY IN ONTONAGON COUNTY DURING THE LATE EVENING ON 3/12... BUT ROSE NO HIGHER THAN THE UPPER 30S OVER THE EAST DOWNWIND OF CHILLY LAKE MICHIGAN. READINGS HELD MAINLY ABOVE FREEZING DURING THE OVERNIGHT AS THE COMBINATION OF INCREASING CLOUDS AND WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH NEARLY OFFSET ANY NOCTURNAL RADIATIONAL COOLING. THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS CUTOFF FROM ANY APPRECIABLE MOISTER...SO THERE WERE JUST SOME SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS AS THE STORM'S ATTENDANT COLD FRONT PASSED ON 3/13. BUT ONLY MODERATELY CHILLY AIR FOLLOWED BEHIND...AND THE TEMPERATURE HIT A BALMY 52 AT MENOMINEE AND 48 AT ESCANABA ON 3/13 ONCE THE SUN CAME OUT AND THE WIND SHIFTED MORE TO THE WEST...CUTTING OFF ANY COOLING INFLUENCE FROM THE BAY OF GREEN BAY. EVEN THOUGH OVER 30 INCHES OF SNOW REMAINED ON THE GROUND OVER INTERIOR WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN AFTER THIS WARM SPELL...LITTLE IF ANY SNOW LINGERED ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL. COLDER AIR SLOWLY FILTERED SOUTH ON 3/14 AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILT INTO ONTARIO. BY DAWN ON 3/14...THE TEMPERATURE AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT WAS DOWN TO 7 ABOVE. THICKENING CLOUDS DURING THE DAY HERALDED THE APPROACH OF YET ANOTHER WINTER STORM FROM THE PLAINS. BY EVENING ON 3/14...SNOW WAS FALLING HEAVY AT TIMES ACROSS THE WEST HALF OF THE UPPER PENINSULA. SNOW FELL AT THE RATE OF 2 INCHES AN HOUR AT TIMES...AND THERE WERE EVEN A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER DURING THE OVERNIGHT 3/14-3/15. BY THE TIME THE SNOW DIMINISHED WEST TO EAST DURING THE DAY ON 3/15...WHITE PINE HAD RECORDED A STORM TOTAL 24 INCHES. SOME OTHER NOTABLE ACCUMULATIONS INCLUDE 18 INCHES AT SILVER CITY AND THE MARQUETTE NWS...17 INCHES AT ONTONAGON...16 INCHES AT BARAGA...15 INCHES AT IRONWOOD...14 INCHES AT ROCKLAND... IRON RIVER AND BIG BAY...12 INCHES AT HOUGHTON AND PHOENIX...AND 10 INCHES AT SAGOLA IN DICKINSON COUNTY AND DEERTON IN ALGER COUNTY. DRIER AIR ALOFT OVER THE SOUTH AND EAST HELD ACCUMULATIONS AS LOW AS 1 TO 3 INCHES FROM STEPHENSON TO STONINGTON AND MANISTIQUE. NEWBERRY SAW AROUND 7 INCHES. ENOUGH WARM AIR IN ADVANCE OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EVEN SNEAKED IN ALOFT TO CHANGE THE PRECIPITATION TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN FOR A TIME SOUTH AND EAST OF IRON MOUNTAIN TO MARQUETTE. MENOMINEE RECORDED AN INCH OF SLEET ACCUMULATION DURING THE EVENING OF 3/14. SKIES CLEARED LATE IN THE DAY ON 3/15 AS A BUILDING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXPANDED OVER THE NORTHWEST LAKES. AS WINDS WENT CALM...THE THERMOMETER OVER INTERIOR SECTIONS PLUMMETED THAT NIGHT. BY DAWN ON 3/16...LOW TEMPERATURES HAD FALLEN AS FAR AS 13 BELOW ZERO AT WATERSMEET AND WAKEFIELD IN GOGEBIC COUNTY. BUT BRIGHT MARCH SUNSHINE DURING THE DAY ON 3/16 BROUGHT WELCOME RELIEF TO WINTER WEARY RESIDENTS OF UPPER MICHIGAN AND PUSHED THE MERCURY AS HIGH AS 40 TO 45 AT MANY LOCATIONS. BUT TEMPERATURES ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORE EAST OF ESCANABA HELD AT 30 OR BELOW AS A SOUTHERLY LAKE BREEZE DEVELOPED AND ADVECTED CHILLY AIR OFF THE COLD WATER INLAND. AFTER A COLD START WITH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO ZERO OVER THE INTERIOR...FILTERED SUNSHINE ON ST PATRICK'S DAY THROUGH INCREASING CLOUDS AHEAD OF AN UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST WAS STILL ENOUGH TO BOOST THE MERCURY WELL INTO THE 30S...AND EVEN AS HIGH AS 47 AT CALUMET AND 45 IN THE CITY OF MARQUETTE. SOME LIGHT SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DISTURBANCE DROPPED AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THE OVERNIGHT 3/17 INTO 3/18. SKIES CLEARED AGAIN WITH THE ARRIVAL OF ANOTHER HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ON 3/18...AND BRIGHT SUNSHINE HELPED LIFT TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 40S AT MOST LOCATIONS. RESIDENTS OF BARAGA EVEN BASKED IN 50 DEGREE WARMTH. THE PASSAGE OF A WEAK COLD FRONT EARLY ON 3/19 DROPPED TEMPERATURES JUST A FEW DEGREES...BUT A MORE POTENT COLD FRONT ARRIVED DURING THE NIGHT ON 3/19-3/20. ALTHOUGH ONLY LIGHT SNOW ACCOMPANIED THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...A BRUTALLY COLD ARCTIC AIRMASS DESCENDED ON THE UPPER MIDWEST IN ITS WAKE. TEMPERATURES ON 3/20 FELL SLOWLY THROUGH THE 20S AS SNOW BECAME MORE WIDESPREAD. THE SNOW BECAME HEAVY AT TIMES BY THE EVENING ON 3/20. ALTHOUGH THE CALENDAR INDICATED SPRING HAD ARRIVED...13 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF HAD BLANKETED SKANDIA IN EASTERN MARQUETTE COUNTY BY DAWN ON 3/21. SOME OTHER NOTABLE ACCUMULATIONS DURING THE NIGHT INCLUDED 8 INCHES AT IRONWOOD AND BESSEMER IN GOGEBIC COUNTY AS WELL AS THE MARQUETTE NWS...7 INCHES AT HERMAN AND HARVEY IN MARQUETTE COUNTY...6 INCHES AT MENOMINEE... DOWNTOWN MARQUETTE AND CHATHAM IN ALGER COUNTY...AND 5 INCHES AT PAINT LAKE IN RURAL NORTHWEST IRON COUNTY AND ROCKLAND. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 45 MPH AT COPPER HARBOR CAUSED SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...AND DROVE THE MERCURY AS LOW AS THE SINGLE NUMBERS ABOVE ZERO OVER HIGHER TERRAIN EVEN DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS. THE SNOW SHOWERS AND PERSISTENT GUSTY WIND CONTINUED THROUGH THE DAY ON 3/21 AND INTO 3/22... ESPECIALLY IN THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BELTS OVER NORTHWEST UPPER MICHIGAN AND EAST OF MUNISING. PELKIE ON THE BARAGA AND HOUGHTON COUNTY LINE NOTCHED ALMOST 9 INCHES OF NEW SNOW IN THE 24 HOURS BETWEEN DAWN ON 3/21 AND 3/22...AND NEWBERRY MEASURED 7 INCHES. TEMPERATURES EARLY ON 3/22 WERE IN THE 5 TO 15 ABOVE RANGE. READINGS RECOVERED INTO THE 20S DURING THE DAY ON 3/22 AS THE ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR DIMINISHED THE PERSISTENT SNOW SHOWERS AND ALLOWED THE RETURN OF SOME INCREASINGLY STRONG LATE MARCH SUNSHINE. THE PASSAGE OF SEVERAL LOW PRESSURE TROUGHS WITH ARCTIC AIR IN PLACE OVER THE NORTHWEST LAKES PERIODICALLY REINVIGORATED THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS FROM 3/23 INTO 3/25 AS TEMPERATURES REMAINED AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR EARLY SPRING. THE SNOW SHOWERS WERE HEAVIEST DURING THE OVERNIGHT ON 3/23 INTO 3/24...AND TWO HEART PICKED UP 5 INCHES. THE MARQUETTE NWS RECORDED A TOTAL 12 INCHES OF SNOW BETWEEN 3/23 AND 3/25. DURING A PERIOD OF CLEAR SKIES BETWEEN THE TROUGH PASSAGES...THE MERCURY PLUMMETED AS LOW AS 15 BELOW ZERO AT IRONWOOD DURING THE EARLY MORNING ON 3/25. THE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE CENTER AND CORE OF THE COLD AIR IN ONTARIO GRADUALLY BEGAN TO SLIP EASTWARD ON 3/26...AND THE CHILL OVER UPPER MICHIGAN BEGAN TO EASE. AS CLOUDS DECREASED AND THE SNOW SHOWERS ENDED...THE STRONG MARCH SUNSHINE WARMED AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 30S OVER MOST PLACES EXCEPT THE FAR WEST ON 3/26 AND INTO THE 40S ON 3/27. ALTHOUGH THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OFF LAKE MICHIGAN HELD THE THERMOMETER IN THE 30S FROM THE BAY OF GREEN BAY TO MANISTIQUE...THE STRONG SUNSHINE BURNED OFF THE REMAINING SNOW IN MANY PLACES OVER SOUTHERN MENOMINEE COUNTY. CLEAR SKIES AT NIGHT OVER LINGERING SNOW COVER INLAND FROM THE WARMER LAKES ALLOWED THE MERCURY TO FALL INTO THE SINGLE NUMBERS ABOVE ZERO AND EVEN LOWER AT IRONWOOD...WHICH NOTCHED TWO MORE BELOW ZERO MORNINGS ON 3/26 (-8) AND 3/27 (-4). A WEAKENING TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED INTO THE NORTHWEST LAKES ON 3/28...BUT A LACK OF MOISTURE RESTRICTED PRECIPITATION TO JUST SOME LIGHT SNOW...WHICH WAS MIXED WITH SOME SLEET AND RAIN AS THE TEMPERATURE ROSE INTO THE 30S TO AROUND 40. THERE WAS NO MORE THAN ABOUT AN INCH OF SNOW ANYWHERE. THE PASSAGE OF THE TROUGH SCOURED OUT LINGERING COLD AIR...AND THE ARRIVAL OF A PACIFIC AIRMASS AND MORE SUNSHINE ON 3/29 BROUGHT A WELCOME TASTE OF SPRING TO WINTER WEARY RESIDENTS OF UPPER MICHIGAN. THE MERCURY ROSE INTO THE 40S EVERYWHERE...AND EVEN AS HIGH AS 56 AT STEPHENSON...54 IN THE CITY OF MARQUETTE AND IRON MOUNTAIN...AND 50 AT IRON RIVER. TEMPERATURES TRENDED COLDER ON 3/30 AND 3/31...WITH DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURES ON 3/30 NEAR NORMAL BUT THEN BELOW NORMAL AGAIN ON EASTER SUNDAY. THERE WERE ALSO SOME SNOW SHOWERS BOTH DAYS...AND IRONWOOD AND PELKIE REPORTED UP TO 3 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. ONE OF THE SNOW SHOWERS ON 3/30 DROPPED ENOUGH OF THE WHITE STUFF ON THE MARQUETTE NWS TO PUSH THE SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL ABOVE 300 INCHES AT THAT SITE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON RECORD... INCREASING THE SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD ESTABLISHED EARLIER IN THE MONTH. GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS (FEET/METERS ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL) LAKE SUPERIOR LAKE MICHIGAN-HURON 3/1/02 DAILY MEAN 600.8/183.12 577.3/175.96 3/31/02 DAILY MEAN 600.7/183.09 577.4/176.00 AVG FEB 2002 DAILY MEAN 601.0/183.17 577.3/175.95 AVG MAR 2001 DAILY MEAN 600.1/182.91 576.7/175.78 AVG 1918-98 MAR DAILY MEAN 601.2/183.26 578.6/176.35 MAXIMUM MAR DAILY MEAN 602.4/183.61 581.1/177.12 (1986) (1986) MINIMUM MAR DAILY MEAN 599.5/182.74 576.0/175.58 (1926) (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). APRIL CLIMATOLOGY AS THE SUN CONTINUES ITS MARCH NORTHWARD DURING THE FOURTH MONTH OF THE YEAR...DAYLIGHT AND AVERAGE TEMPERATURES INCREASE STEADILY. THE DAILY POSSIBLE SUNSHINE INCREASES FROM 769 MINUTES ON 4/1 TO 860 MINUTES ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH. ON 4/1...NORMAL MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES AT THE MARQUETTE NWS ARE 40 AND 22...BUT REBOUND TO 55 AND 33 ON 4/30. MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT UPPER MICHIGAN ARE 13 TO 15 DEGREES HIGHER IN APRIL THAN IN MARCH. THE RELATIVELY COOL WATERS OF THE GREAT LAKES OFTEN KEEP TEMPERATURES NEAR THE SHORE DURING THE DAY MUCH LOWER THAN FARTHER INLAND. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN APRIL IS GREATER THAN IN MARCH OVER MUCH OF INTERIOR UPPER MICHIGAN...BUT GENERALLY LESS IN AREAS NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR AS THE RELATIVELY COOL WATERS INCREASE LOW LEVEL STABILITY AND REDUCE THE THREAT OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW AND CONVECTIVE SHOWERS. SNOWFALL DURING WARM AND/OR DRY APRILS ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN IS OFTEN LESS THAN AN INCH. SUMMER-LIKE WEATHER CAN OCCUR DURING APRIL. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES NEAR THE END OF THE MONTH GO ABOVE 90 IN SOME LOCATIONS...INCLUDING THE 94 AND 92 DEGREE READINGS OBSERVED AT IRON MOUNTAIN AND THE MARQUETTE NWS ON 4/22/80. ALTHOUGH APRIL 1987 IS THE WARMEST ON RECORD OR AT LEAST IN THE TOP FIVE WARMEST AT MANY PLACES...THE SECOND HALF OF APRIL 1990 STANDS OUT AS A PERIOD OF UNPRECEDENTED WARMTH. IN FACT...THE WEEK BETWEEN 4/22/90 AND 4/29/90 IS THE WARMEST ON RECORD AT ALL REPORTING STATIONS. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS WEEK AVERAGED AS HIGH AS 68 AT MUNISING AND THE MARQUETTE NWS...67 AT ONTONAGON...65 AT IRON MOUNTAIN...IRONWOOD AND MANISTIQUE...64 AT HOUGHTON AND 62 AT NEWBERRY. AT MANY OF THESE SITES... THE HIGHEST APRIL TEMPERATURE ON RECORD OCCURRED DURING THIS WEEK...INCLUDING 89 AT MUNISING (4/26/90) AND ONTONAGON (4/25/90)...88 AT HOUGHTON (4/25/90)...84 AT MANISTIQUE (4/26/90) AND 82 AT NEWBERRY (4/25/90). SEVEN OF THE 10 HIGHEST APRIL MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES RECORDED AT MANISTIQUE OCCURRED BETWEEN 4/23/90 AND 4/29/90. ALL OF THESE TEMPERATURES WOULD BE CONSIDERED NORMAL OR EVEN ABOVE NORMAL DURING MID SUMMER. ALTHOUGH AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CLIMB QUICKLY IN APRIL AND SUMMER-LIKE HEAT SOMETIMES HERALDS THE COMING WARM SEASON...WINTER CAN RETURN WITH A VENGEANCE EVEN AT MONTHS END. RECORD HIGH MONTHLY SNOWFALL AT ALMOST ALL LOCATIONS EXCEPT THE SOUTHERN TIER COUNTIES IS 20 INCHES OR MORE. THE MERCURY HAS FALLEN AS LOW AS -12 AT IRONWOOD (4/7/82)...-7 AT MANISTIQUE (4/5/72)...-6 AT IRON MOUNTAIN (4/5/72)...-5 AT THE MARQUETTE NWS (4/7/79)...-4 AT MUNISING (4/6/50)...-2 AT NEWBERRY (4/1/23) AND ZERO AT HOUGHTON (4/4/54) AND ONTONAGON (4/7/96). IRONWOOD HAS REPORTED TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW ZERO EVEN AFTER MID MONTH...-8 AND -5 ON 4/17/83 AND 4/18/83 RESPECTIVELY. APRIL 1996 AND 1995 WERE NOTORIOUSLY COLD ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING FIVE DEGREES OR MORE BELOW NORMAL...AND MANY PLACES COUNT THESE MONTHS IN THE TOP FIVE COLDEST APRILS ON RECORD. HEAVY SNOW FELL AT MOST PLACES IN APRIL 1996. A MONTHLY RECORD 43.4 INCHES BLANKETED THE MARQUETTE NWS THAT MEMORABLE MONTH...INCLUDING 12.6 INCHES ON 4/30/96. APRIL 1950 STANDS OUT AS VERY CHILLY AT STATIONS WITH A LONGER CLIMATE RECORD. THAT MONTH IS THE COLDEST APRIL AT NEWBERRY (AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 29.9)...IRON MOUNTAIN (32.3) AND MUNISING (31.3) AND THE SECOND AND THIRD COLDEST AT IRONWOOD (31.0) AND MANISTIQUE (33.0). APRIL FORECAST THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION FOR UPPER MICHIGAN DURING APRIL 2002. ALTHOUGH WATER TEMPERATURES IN THE EQUATORIAL EASTERN PACIFIC HAVE RISEN TO OR ABOVE NORMAL...THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THE EL NINO IS NOT YET STRONG ENOUGH TO INFLUENCE UPPER MICHIGAN WEATHER. OUTLOOK FOR LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION OVER UPPER MICHIGAN FOR THE PERIOD MAY THROUGH JULY 2002. WATER TEMPERATURES IN THE EQUATORIAL EASTERN PACIFIC HAVE RISEN TO NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL...BUT THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THE WARMING RELATED TO THIS EL NINO PHENOMENON WILL NOT IMPACT UPPER MICHIGAN UNTIL LATE SUMMER OR EARLY FALL AT THE EARLIEST. ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO HOW MUCH THE PACIFIC WATER TEMPERATURE WILL INCREASE...THE CPC AT THIS TIME IS NOT FORECASTING THIS EL NINO TO BE AS STRONG AS THE 1997-98 EVENT THAT SIGNIFICANTLY DISRUPTED WEATHER PATTERNS IN NORTH AMERICA AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. 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 1971 THROUGH 2000. 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 NNNN