Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
WHILE ICE is beginning to form on parts of the Gile Flowage, temperatures hovering around freezing the last few days mean there is still plenty of visible open water on Friday.
MARQUETTE — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder declared Nov. 5-11 Winter Hazards Awareness Week more than a week after the snow began falling throughout much of the Upper Peninsula.
While 15.2 inches of snow had fallen at Ironwood through Friday and the November temperatures have been unseasonably cold, it’s too early to say the area will be in for a brutal winter.
As of Friday, the average reading for the month in Ironwood of 27.6 degrees compared to the 116-year average of 36.7 degrees.
The 5 inches of snow on the ground was nowhere near the record 27 inches in 1989.
The Gogebic Range is coming off three mild winters and area deer hunters would like to see it become four straight.
“Outside of a few brief cold shots, last winter will be remembered as being mild, with below average snowfall,” said Matt Zika, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Marquette.
“In fact, many locations experienced a top 10 warmest winter. There were very few widespread significant snowfall events. Instead, most of the last year’s snowfall came from a combination of lake-effect snow and quick moving nuisance systems,” Zika said.
Is the U.P. in for another unusually mild winter this year? “In the absence of a strong El Nino or strong La Nina, it is too early to tell with much certainty how this winter will pan out,” Zika said.
“It is doubtful it will be as mild as the last two winters, but on the flip side it will not be as brutally cold as the winters of 2013-’14 and 2014-’15. So, the official long-range forecast suggests temperatures and snowfall will average much closer to their long-term winter averages,” he said.
Many simple preparations can be taken before winter sets in, including:
—Making sure cars are ready for the colder weather.
—Having a survival kit in the car.
—Ensuring people have warm coats, hats and gloves, and being aware of potential fire and carbon monoxide hazards from alternate heat sources, such as fireplaces, wood stoves or space heaters.
