I was not living in the UP for this one, but we have come close in a few other years since I have been up here:
1978: On December 31, 1978, the Houghton County airport reported 119 inches of snow for the month of December, 60.1 inches above normal.
I do remember this one very clearly. About 4-5 days before Christmas, I was actually forecasting some areas of the western UP to see over 50" of snow in a 5 day period (it's totally doable, right?!). Got an e mail from a colleague at the NWS that very diplomatically said I might have been too dramatic in my forecast.
I remember driving home from S. WI on Christmas evening and almost having to turn around in the Mass City area because it was snowing so hard I could barely see past the front of my car and accumulating so fast that I was starting to bottom out.
2001: On December 31, 2001, a storm organized in the central plains on 12/22 and headed towards Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A cold front associated with the storm moved through the U.P. during the early morning of 12/23. 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 were highly dependent on the prevailing wind direction which was north or northwest. Marquette set a daily snowfall record of 13.0 inches of snow 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, 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 a location just south of Munising saw 13.7 inches of snow. On 12/26, the lake effect snow let up slightly. Atlantic Mine reported 8-10 inches of snow and Wakefield reported 8 inches of snow. On 12/27, lake effect snow continued with Two Heart reporting 15 inches, Melstrand 13 inches, and Wakefield reported 12 inches. On 12/28, more lake effect snow fell. Rockland had 10.2 inches of new snow, Wakefield had 10 inches of new snow, Au Train 24 inches, and Melstrand 9.8 inches. On 12/29, heavy lake effect snow continued in places. NWS Marquette in Negaunee had 11.5 inches. On 12/30, lake effect snow diminished, but Munising received 7.0 more inches. Wakefield reported 72 inches of snow out of the lake effect snow event from 12/23-12/30. The lake effect snow showers finally came to an end over the eastern Upper Peninsula on 12/31.
I thought I read somewhere that Rockland picked up close to 100" in that LES event, but could not find anything for this post.
These were courtesy of the NWS Marquette's "Today in History" page. Something I like to go to every day.
-John
1978: On December 31, 1978, the Houghton County airport reported 119 inches of snow for the month of December, 60.1 inches above normal.
I do remember this one very clearly. About 4-5 days before Christmas, I was actually forecasting some areas of the western UP to see over 50" of snow in a 5 day period (it's totally doable, right?!). Got an e mail from a colleague at the NWS that very diplomatically said I might have been too dramatic in my forecast.
I remember driving home from S. WI on Christmas evening and almost having to turn around in the Mass City area because it was snowing so hard I could barely see past the front of my car and accumulating so fast that I was starting to bottom out.
2001: On December 31, 2001, a storm organized in the central plains on 12/22 and headed towards Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A cold front associated with the storm moved through the U.P. during the early morning of 12/23. 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 were highly dependent on the prevailing wind direction which was north or northwest. Marquette set a daily snowfall record of 13.0 inches of snow 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, 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 a location just south of Munising saw 13.7 inches of snow. On 12/26, the lake effect snow let up slightly. Atlantic Mine reported 8-10 inches of snow and Wakefield reported 8 inches of snow. On 12/27, lake effect snow continued with Two Heart reporting 15 inches, Melstrand 13 inches, and Wakefield reported 12 inches. On 12/28, more lake effect snow fell. Rockland had 10.2 inches of new snow, Wakefield had 10 inches of new snow, Au Train 24 inches, and Melstrand 9.8 inches. On 12/29, heavy lake effect snow continued in places. NWS Marquette in Negaunee had 11.5 inches. On 12/30, lake effect snow diminished, but Munising received 7.0 more inches. Wakefield reported 72 inches of snow out of the lake effect snow event from 12/23-12/30. The lake effect snow showers finally came to an end over the eastern Upper Peninsula on 12/31.
I thought I read somewhere that Rockland picked up close to 100" in that LES event, but could not find anything for this post.
These were courtesy of the NWS Marquette's "Today in History" page. Something I like to go to every day.
-John