Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
AN END of October storm brought rain, ice and snow to the Gogebic Range, followed by frigid temperatures. A vehicle required a jump in a downtown Ironwood parking lot, off McLeod Avenue.
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood - While the average temperature in Ironwood in 2017 was nearly identical to the 117-year norm, it was anything but a typical year weather-wise.
The average reading of 40.3 degrees was slightly above the long-term norm of 40.1, according to statistics for Ironwood kept by the National Weather Service office in Marquette. The record high reading was 46.4 degrees in 1938, according to the NWS.
Wacky weather included an April 26-27 ice storm that caused massive damage to electrical transmission lines, an end of October wind storm that covered snowmobile trails with trees and debris, and Dec. 4 lightning that included a downtown strike that knocked out the press at the Daily Globe and damaged Historic Ironwood Theatre equipment.
Evidence of the strong October winds can still be viewed along Lake Superior, where driftwood has been stacked high by the winds off the lake.
The Dec. 4 storm began with temperatures in the 50s. When temperatures plunged, the blast turned into icy roadways and 6 inches of heavy snow.
It was an unusually wet year across the Gogebic Range. Total precipitation in Ironwood for 2017 was 40.38 inches, well above the norm of 34.93 inches.
December turned cold
With a bone-shattering blast of winter weather arriving for Christmas and New Year's Day, December was very cold in Ironwood, with an average reading of 19 degrees. The 117-year average is 24.2 degrees.
The 3.02 inches of precipitation that fell in December, including considerable rainfall, was above the average of 2.11 inches.
Snowfall for December totaled 46.2 inches, about equal to the average of 46.3 inches.
As for 2018, weather records threaten on the frigid end of the scale.
The average temperature for Ironwood for the first two days of this month stood at minus-8.4 degrees.
For today, more lake-effect snow was in the forecast in Iron County, as a winter weather advisory was in effect through 4 p.m. Total snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was predicted for the Gogebic Range.
There's relief in the forecast beginning Saturday, however, with high temperatures of around 20 degrees near the seasonal norm. No below zero readings for the 10 days following Saturday are predicted, with no major snowstorms.
