Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
DARK CLOUDS descend over Ironwood in the distance around 3 p.m. on Thursday, as seen from the U.S. 2 bridge that is under construction in Saxon, Wis. What had been a clear day turned dark at many locations across the Gogebic Range.
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ironwood - When it comes to the weather, statistics have a way of averaging out.
So while Ironwood had almost no rain for the first three weeks of May, downpours on Wednesday sent the monthly rainfall total nearly identical to the 117-year average.
A total of 1.41 inches of rain fell for the 24-hour period to 7 a.m. Thursday at the Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Treatment Plant weather station on the Montreal River, off Cloverland Drive.
Later Thursday, scattered thundershowers continued across the Gogebic Range, increasing the precipitation mark.
Thursday morning's reading sent the monthly total to 3.03 inches, compared to the long-term average for May of 3.13 inches.
The 1.41 inches didn't set a record for May 31, however. That mark is the 1.79 inches that fell in 2011.
As the month that seemed more like July or August ended, the average May temperature was 58.6 degrees, much higher than the long-term average of 51.9 degrees, according to Ironwood records kept by the National Weather Service office in Marquette.
Total precipitation of 9.79 inches for 2018 stands below the 117-year average of 10.95 inches.
The average temperature for 2018 is 27.1 degrees, compared to the average of 28.8.
