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000
CXUS53 KMQT 101528 AAA
CLMMQT

CLIMATE REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
1030 AM EST THU JAN 10 2013

...................................

...THE MARQUETTE MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1961 TO 2013

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              59   12/03/1998
                        12/03/1982
 LOW              -28   12/20/1983
HIGHEST            53   12/03        24      29       43  12/26
LOWEST              2   12/12        10      -8       -4  12/10
AVG. MAXIMUM     29.4              25.9     3.5     28.9
AVG. MINIMUM     18.0              11.2     6.8     15.9
MEAN             23.7              18.5     5.2     22.4
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     20              22.7    -2.7       22
DAYS MIN <= 32     29              30.5    -1.5       31
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               6.2    -6.2        2

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         6.91   1968
 MINIMUM         0.37   1994
TOTALS           3.14              2.57    0.57     1.89
DAILY AVG.       0.10              0.08    0.02     0.06
DAYS >= .01        15              17.1    -2.1       17
DAYS >= .10         4               7.1    -3.1        7
DAYS >= .50         2               1.1     0.9        0
DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.2     0.8        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    2.24   12/20 TO 12/21

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           89.5   2000
TOTALS           28.4              42.8   -14.4     24.7
SINCE 7/1        49.3              73.3   -24.0     45.4
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      6                11      -5        6
DAYS >= 1.0         5              10.0    -5.0        9
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        15   12/26                         10  12/06
                        12/25
                        12/24
 24 HR TOTAL     16.4   12/20 TO 12/21

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1271              1440    -169     1312
 SINCE 7/1       3373              3642    -269     3171
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1        345               242     103      324
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              MM
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    MM        DATE   MM
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    44/360    DATE  12/21

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER             MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR          MM
NUMBER OF DAYS PC            MM
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY        MM

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     MM

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       0
LIGHT RAIN                7     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          4     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       2
LIGHT SNOW               25     SLEET                      1
FOG                       6     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      2
HAZE                      0

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

&&

...DECEMBER 2012 MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR UPPER MICHIGAN...
(THIS DISCUSSION DOES NOT INCLUDE CHIPPEWA AND MACKINAC COUNTIES)

...MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WELL ABOVE NORMAL...
...SEVENTH WARMEST DECEMBER AT THE MARQUETTE NWS...

...GENERALLY DRY WITH BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL...

DECEMBER CLIMATE STATISTICS FOR THE MARQUETTE NWS IN NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP

                                    NORMAL   DEPARTURE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE         23.7     18.5   PLUS    5.2
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE    29.4     25.9   PLUS    3.5
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE     18.0     11.2   PLUS    6.8
HEATING DEGREE DAYS         1271     1440  MINUS    169
COOLING DEGREE DAYS            0        0             0
TOTAL PRECIPITATION         3.14     2.57   PLUS   0.57
TOTAL SNOWFALL              28.4     42.8  MINUS   14.4

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE:                    53 ON 12/3
LOWEST TEMPERATURE:                      2 ON 12/12
GREATEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION:  1.69 ON 12/20
GREATEST 24 HOUR PRECIPITATION:       2.24 ON 12/20-12/21
GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL:       11.9 ON 12/20
GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL:            16.4 ON 12/20-12/21
PEAK WIND SPEED:     44 MPH FROM THE NORTH ON 12/21

DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON 12/16...32 (OLD RECORD
                                                     31...1977)
DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION ON 12/20...1.69 (0.50...1978)
DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 12/20...11.9 (7.2...1976)
SEVENTH HIGHEST DECEMBER MEAN TEMPERATURE...23.7 (RECORD 27.5...1994)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS (FEET/METERS ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL)

                            LAKE SUPERIOR  LAKE MICHIGAN-HURON
12/01/12 DAILY MEAN         600.61/183.06     576.16/175.61
12/31/12 DAILY MEAN         600.51/183.03     576.11/175.60
AVG NOV 2012 DAILY MEAN     600.76/183.11     576.36/175.67
AVG DEC 2011 DAILY MEAN     600.68/183.09     577.56/176.04
LONG TERM DEC DAILY MEAN    601.70/183.40     578.50/176.33
MAXIMUM DEC DAILY MEAN      603.10/183.81     581.60/177.26
                                (1985)           (1986)
MINIMUM DEC DAILY MEAN      600.10/182.92     576.20/175.62
                                (1925)           (1964)

...RECORD LOW LEVEL REACHED ON LAKES MICHIGAN-HURON IN DECEMBER...

INCREASED EVAPORATION DUE TO VERY WARM LAKE WATERS HAS RESULTED IN
WELL BELOW NORMAL GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS FOR THE PAST SEVERAL
YEARS. IN COMBINATION WITH DROUGHT THAT PLAGUED THE LOWER LAKES
THROUGH MUCH OF 2012...THE WATER LEVEL ON LAKES MICHIGAN-HURON IN
DECEMBER HOVERED ABOUT 2 INCHES BELOW THE PREVIOUS RECORD LOW LEVEL
FOR THE MONTH THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN DECEMBER 1964. THE STAGE NEAR
576.1 FEET/175.6 METERS AVERAGED ALMOST 30 INCHES BELOW THE
LONG-TERM NORMAL. SINCE PRECIPITATION DURING 2012 IN THE LAKE
SUPERIOR DRAINAGE BASIN WAS HEAVIER...THE LEVEL OF THAT LAKE FELL
ONLY SLOWLY IN DECEMBER. HOWEVER...LAKE SUPERIOR WATER LEVELS WERE
STILL ALMOST 15 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

OBTAIN GREAT LAKES WATER LEVEL DATA AS REPORTED BY THE U.S. ARMY
CORPS OF ENGINEERS AT
 HTTP://WWW.LRE.USACE.ARMY.MIL/GREATLAKES/HH/GREATLAKESWATERLEVELS/
        CURRENTCONDITIONS/GREATLAKESWATERLEVELS (ALL LOWER CASE).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                     DECEMBER CLIMATE HIGHLIGHTS

MORE TO COME LATER.

                      DECEMBER WEATHER SUMMARY

MORE TO COME LATER.

                          JANUARY FORECAST

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING A GREATER THAN
CLIMATOLOGICAL CHANCE OF AN ABOVE NORMAL MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
AND ABOVE NORMAL MONTHLY PRECIPITATION OVER ALL OF UPPER MICHIGAN IN
JANUARY 2013.

                        JANUARY CLIMATOLOGY

ALTHOUGH DAYLIGHT BEGINS TO INCREASE THROUGH JANUARY (519 MINUTES OF
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE ON 1/1 TO 576 MINUTES ON 1/31)...TEMPERATURES
CONTINUE THEIR DOWNWARD SLIDE DURING THE MONTH AS ARCTIC AIRMASSES
MAKE FREQUENT VISITS TO UPPER MICHIGAN. IN FACT...JANUARY IS THE
COLDEST MONTH AT ALL REPORTING STATIONS...WITH AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
5 TO 6 DEGREES LOWER THAN IN DECEMBER.

THE COLDEST FIRST MONTH IN RECENT MEMORY WAS JANUARY 1994...WHEN
TEMPERATURES ACROSS ALL OF UPPER MICHIGAN AVERAGED ABOUT 10 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL AND THE MERCURY NEVER ROSE ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK.
JANUARY 1994 GOES DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE COLDEST EVER AT
THE MARQUETTE NWS (AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 2.8)...IRON MOUNTAIN (3.0)...
THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT (4.9)...MANISTIQUE (5.8)...ONTONAGON
(5.8)...AND MUNISING (7.8). NEWBERRY RECORDED ITS SECOND COLDEST
JANUARY IN 1994 (5.3)...AND IRONWOOD ITS FOURTH COLDEST (-0.3).
WATER PIPES FROZE IN A NUMBER OF HOMES THROUGHOUT UPPER MICHIGAN
THAT COLD MONTH. A BRUTAL ARCTIC OUTBREAK IN MID-JANUARY 2005 DROVE
TEMPERATURES AS LOW AS -31 AT CHAMPION IN MARQUETTE COUNTY. AT
IRONWOOD...THE MERCURY REMAINED BELOW ZERO FROM LATE IN THE
AFTERNOON ON 1/13 UNTIL JUST AFTER DAWN ON 1/18 IN 2005...INCLUDING
A HIGH OF 6 BELOW ZERO ON 1/15. BOTH IRONWOOD AND NEWBERRY...WHERE
RECORDS GO BACK TO THE EARLY 1900S...SAW THEIR COLDEST JANUARY IN
1912...WHEN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE A FRIGID -5.3 AND 2.7
RESPECTIVELY. MORE RECENTLY...JANUARY 2009 WAS A TOP TEN COLDEST
FIRST MONTH AT MANY LOCATIONS WITH A PERSISTENT UPPER TROUGH LOCKED
OVER THE GREAT LAKES THROUGH THE MONTH. THE MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE
IN JANUARY 2009 WAS 3 TO 7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN...JANUARY 2006 IS THE WARMEST FIRST
MONTH ON RECORD AT MOST PLACES ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN. MONTHLY MEAN
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED AN INCREDIBLE 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE THE
LONG-TERM NORMAL. A STRONG WEST-TO-EAST FLOW ALOFT KEPT ARCTIC AIR
BOTTLED UP WELL NORTH IN CANADA...AND THE DAILY TEMPERATURE ENDED UP
ABOVE THE MEAN ALL 31 DAYS OF THE MONTH AT MOST SITES. THERE WAS
ALMOST A COMPLETE ABSENCE OF SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES IN JANUARY 2006.
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1901...THE MERCURY DID NOT
FALL BELOW ZERO IN JANUARY AT IRONWOOD IN 2006. AT IRON MOUNTAIN AND
THE MARQUETTE NWS...2006 JOINS 2002 AS THE ONLY YEAR WHEN THE
THERMOMETER NEVER DIPPED BELOW ZERO IN JANUARY. AT MANY PLACES WEST
OF MUNISING AND ESCANABA...1/27/2006 WAS THE WARMEST OR ONE OF THE
TOP FIVE WARMEST JANUARY DAYS ON RECORD. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES PEAKED
AT OR ABOVE 50 AT MANY LOCATIONS...INCLUDING THE HOUGHTON COUNTY
AIRPORT. THE PREVIOUS HIGHEST JANUARY TEMPERATURE ON RECORD THERE
HAD BEEN 43. AVERAGE JANUARY TEMPERATURES IN 2002...2001...AND 1990
WERE AMONG THE TOP FIVE HIGHEST ON RECORD AT MANY LOCATIONS.
READINGS DURING THOSE MONTHS AVERAGED 5 TO 10 DEGREES OR MORE ABOVE
NORMAL. EVEN MORE RECENTLY...JANUARY 2012 WAS QUITE WARM. MONTHLY
MEAN TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 4 TO 7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...ENOUGH TO
QUALIFY THAT JANUARY AS ONE OF THE TOP TEN WARMEST FIRST MONTHS ON
RECORD.

JANUARY IS THE SNOWIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR AT MOST LOCATIONS. THE
PASSAGE OF ARCTIC AIR OVER THE TYPICALLY UNFROZEN LAKE SUPERIOR
RESULTS IN CONSIDERABLE LAKE EFFECT SNOW. AS THE COLD AIR PASSES
OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF THE LAKE...THE AIRMASS BECOMES
INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE. THE RESULT IS A GREATER FREQUENCY OF LOW
CLOUD AND SNOW SHOWERS...WHICH ARE TYPICALLY HEAVIER AND MORE
WIDESPREAD OVER HIGHER TERRAIN JUST DOWNWIND OF LAKE SUPERIOR. THE
LOCATION OF MAXIMUM SNOWFALL IS VERY DEPENDENT ON THE LOW LEVEL WIND
DIRECTION BECAUSE THE LONGEST WIND FETCH ACROSS THE WATER RESULTS IN
GREATEST DESTABILIZATION. A WEST WIND FAVORS THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA;
A NORTHWEST WIND USUALLY RESULTS IN HEAVIER SNOW AROUND ONTONAGON
AND IN ALGER AND LUCE COUNTIES; AND A NORTH TO NORTHEAST WIND CAUSES
THE HEAVIEST SNOW AROUND IRONWOOD AND IN THE NORTH CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
OF BARAGA AND MARQUETTE COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH LARGE SCALE STORM SYSTEMS
THAT TYPICALLY MOVE NORTHEAST FROM THE PLAINS STATES INTO THE GREAT
LAKES CAN ALSO BRING HEAVY SNOW TO INLAND LOCATIONS...AVERAGE
JANUARY PRECIPITATION IS QUITE A BIT LESS AWAY FROM LAKE SUPERIOR.
FOR INSTANCE...THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT PICKS UP 62.8 INCHES OF
SNOW AND 3.71 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION DURING A
TYPICAL JANUARY. IRON MOUNTAIN RECEIVES ONLY 15.0 INCHES OF SNOW AND
1.25 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION ON AVERAGE. WHILE
RECORD SNOWS AT INLAND LOCATIONS ARE TYPICALLY AROUND 50 INCHES...
LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVE BOTH LAKE EFFECT AND SYNOPTIC SNOW CAN PICK
UP 100 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF. DURING THE COLD JANUARY OF 2004...
A LOCATION JUST SOUTHWEST OF ONTONAGON WAS BURIED UNDER 121 INCHES
OF THE WHITE STUFF. TWO HEART IN LUCE COUNTY LOGGED 115 INCHES...AND
BOTH PAINESDALE IN HOUGHTON COUNTY AND PHOENIX IN KEWEENAW COUNTY
REPORTED 112 INCHES. SNOWFALL IN JANUARY 1997 WAS ALSO HEAVY...106.3
INCHES FELL AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT...100.7 INCHES AT
IRONWOOD...91.7 INCHES AT THE MARQUETTE NWS...AND 88.7 INCHES AT
MUNISING.

DURING DRY AND/OR WARM YEARS...MONTHLY SNOWFALL MAY NOT EXCEED 12
INCHES AT MANY LOCATIONS. IRON MOUNTAIN PICKED UP ONLY 2.3 INCHES OF
SNOW IN JANUARY 1961...EVEN THOUGH THE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE WAS NEAR
NORMAL. AN ACTIVE STORM TRACK THAT YEAR TOO FAR TO THE SOUTH LEFT
MUCH OF UPPER MICHIGAN AWAY FROM LAKE SUPERIOR HIGH AND DRY (TOTAL
LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION AT IRON MOUNTAIN WAS ONLY 0.12
INCHES). DURING A RELATIVELY DRY AND MILD JANUARY 1973 WHEN THERE
WERE FEW ARCTIC INVASIONS...THE MARQUETTE NWS RECORDED ONLY 12.0
INCHES OF SNOW. THE RECORD LOW JANUARY SNOWFALL AT THE HOUGHTON
COUNTY AIRPORT IS 27.7 INCHES (1968).

             OUTLOOK FOR LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING AN EQUAL CHANCE
OF AN ABOVE AND BELOW NORMAL 3-MONTH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AND ABOVE
AND BELOW AVERAGE 3-MONTH PRECIPITATION OVER ALL OF UPPER MICHIGAN
IN FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL.

GO TO HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CLIMATE/L3MTO.PHP TO ACCESS DETAILED
LOCAL THREE-MONTH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS FOR A NUMBER OF SITES
IN UPPER MICHIGAN.

CHECK OUT HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER AND MORE LONG RANGE PREDICTIONS.

NOTE THAT STATISTICS FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP ARE BASED ON RECORDS WHICH BEGAN IN OCTOBER 1961.
THIRTY YEAR NORMALS USED ARE FOR THE PERIOD OF 1981 THROUGH 2010.
NOTE ALL TEMPERATURES ARE IN FAHRENHEIT AND PRECIPITATION IS IN
INCHES. ALL CLIMATE DATA LISTED IN THIS PRODUCT ARE UNOFFICIAL. FOR
OFFICIAL DATA...PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER.
ALSO NOTE THIS DISCUSSION DOES NOT INCLUDE DATA FROM CHIPPEWA AND
MACKINAC COUNTIES.

NWS MARQUETTE WEB PAGE IS AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MQT (ALL LOWER
CASE). CONTACT THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER AT (828) 271-4800
OR WWW.NCDC.NOAA.GOV.

$$

KC