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

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