Two high readings set for Ironwood

By RALPH ANSAMI

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Ironwood - Two high temperature records were set in Ironwood on a weekend to remember on the Gogebic Range.

Highs of 86 degrees were recorded for both Saturday and Sunday at the Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Treatment Plant off Cloverland Drive. The readings are taken for 24-hour periods to 7 a.m. for the National Weather Service, so the record highs will be officially listed for Sunday and Monday.

Beaches on Lake Superior filled on Sunday as people got outside and enjoyed the sunshine. There were unofficial readings in the low 90s across the Range over the weekend, although the humidity was not oppressive.

The hot weather delayed the arrival of fall colors, which usually develop when night-time temperatures turn colder and a frost arrives. With cooler weather ahead, the next week should bring out the yellows and reds in the trees.

It was an unusual weekend when some dandelions sprouted up and the geese couldn't seem to decide whether they'd fly south or north.

The official Ironwood Sept. 25 high reading of 86 degrees topped the high of 83 set in 2007 and the Sept. 24 mark of 86 was higher than the 85-degree mark set in 1923, according to statistics kept at the NWS office in Marquette.

The long-term average highs for the weekend were around 62 degrees.

The low mark in Ironwood for Sept. 25 is 24 degrees recorded in 1976 and the Sept. 24 record low is 22 degrees in 1980.

Although the warm temperatures carried into the night hours, the monthly average temperature of 59.3 degrees isn't much over the long-term average of 56.7 degrees.

The forecast calls for a high of 64 today, with an 80 percent chance of rain, but it will turn gradually cooler through Friday.

The weekend looks promising, however, with highs forecast in the low 60s, accompanied by mostly sunny skies.