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000
CXUS53 KMQT 012053
CLMMQT

CLIMATE REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
450 PM EDT THU NOV 1 2012

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

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

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1961 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              87   10/02/1992
 LOW                9   10/23/1969
HIGHEST            72   10/03        51      21       81  10/08
LOWEST             21   10/29        34     -13       23  10/30
AVG. MAXIMUM     50.4              52.1    -1.7     56.4
AVG. MINIMUM     34.9              34.2     0.7     38.2
MEAN             42.6              43.2    -0.6     47.3
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.7    -0.7        0
DAYS MIN <= 32     13              13.4    -0.4       12
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         7.59   1979
 MINIMUM         0.94   1975
TOTALS           5.20              3.84    1.36     1.88
DAILY AVG.       0.17              0.12    0.05     0.06
DAYS >= .01        15              15.2    -0.2       14
DAYS >= .10        11               8.3     2.7        6
DAYS >= .50         2               2.2    -0.2        1
DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.9     0.1        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    2.21   10/25 TO 10/25

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           18.6   1979
TOTALS            6.1               6.0     0.1        T
SINCE 7/1         6.1               6.1     0.0        T
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                MM      MM        0
DAYS >= 1.0         2               1.7     0.3        0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         2   10/31                          0  MM
                        10/11
 24 HR TOTAL      3.6   10/30 TO 10/31

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     688               679       9      549
 SINCE 7/1       1139              1161     -22      924
COOLING TOTAL       0                 1      -1        6
 SINCE 1/1        345               242     103      324
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              MM
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    MM        DATE   MM
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    36/180    DATE  10/08

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                2     RAIN                       1
LIGHT RAIN               17     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       1
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       1
LIGHT SNOW                7     SLEET                      1
FOG                       8     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      0
HAZE                      0

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

&&

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

...MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE NEAR TO A BIT BELOW NORMAL...

...ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION...
...EIGHTH WETTEST OCTOBER AT NEWBERRY AND THE MARQUETTE NWS...

OCTOBER CLIMATE STATISTICS FOR THE MARQUETTE NWS IN NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP

                                    NORMAL   DEPARTURE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE         42.6     43.2  MINUS    0.6
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE    50.4     52.1  MINUS    1.7
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE     34.9     34.2   PLUS    0.7
HEATING DEGREE DAYS          688      679   PLUS      9
COOLING DEGREE DAYS            0        1  MINUS      1
TOTAL PRECIPITATION         5.20     3.84   PLUS   1.36
TOTAL SNOWFALL               6.1      6.0   PLUS    0.1

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE:                    72 ON 10/3
LOWEST TEMPERATURE:                     21 ON 10/29
GREATEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION:  2.21 ON 10/25
GREATEST 24 HOUR PRECIPITATION:       2.21 ON 10/25
GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL:        2.9 ON 10/30
GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL:             3.6 ON 10/30-10/31
PEAK WIND SPEED:     36 MPH FROM THE SOUTH ON 10/8

DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION ON 10/25...2.21 (OLD RECORD 0.32...2001)
SECOND HIGHEST OCTOBER DAILY PRECIPITATION ON 10/25...2.21 (RECORD
                                                    2.89...10/4/1985)
DAILY RECORD SNOWFALL ON 10/31...2.9 (OLD RECORD 1.0...1962/88/93)
EIGHTH HIGHEST OCTOBER PRECIPITATION...5.20 (RECORD 7.59...1979)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS (FEET/METERS ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL)

                            LAKE SUPERIOR  LAKE MICHIGAN-HURON
10/01/12 DAILY MEAN         600.86/183.14     576.68/175.77
10/30/12 DAILY MEAN         600.99/183.18     576.39/175.68
AVG SEP 2012 DAILY MEAN     601.07/183.21     576.97/175.86
AVG OCT 2011 DAILY MEAN     601.08/183.21     577.70/176.08
LONG TERM OCT DAILY MEAN    602.10/183.51     578.90/176.44
MAXIMUM OCT DAILY MEAN      603.40/183.91     582.30/177.50
                                (1985)           (1986)
MINIMUM OCT DAILY MEAN      600.70/183.10     576.40/175.70
                                (1925)           (1964)

...RECORD LOW OCTOBER LAKE LEVEL REACHED ON LAKES MICHIGAN-HURON...

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...LAKES MICHIGAN-HURON REACHED A RECORD LOW
LEVEL FOR OCTOBER OF 176.39 FEET/175.68 METERS ON 10/30...A STAGE
THAT IS ABOUT 30 INCHES BELOW THE LONG TERM AVERAGE. SINCE
PRECIPITATION DURING RECENT MONTHS IN THE LAKE SUPERIOR DRAINAGE
BASIN HAS BEEN HEAVIER...THE LEVEL OF LAKE SUPERIOR ACTUALLY ROSE
ALMOST 5 INCHES THROUGH OCTOBER. HOWEVER...LAKE SUPERIOR WATER
LEVELS WERE STILL ABOUT 13 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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      OCTOBER CLIMATE HIGHLIGHTS

SOME OTHER TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OBSERVATIONS ACROSS UPPER
MICHIGAN IN OCTOBER 2012 INCLUDE:

IRONWOOD...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 41.8 (1.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL)
           PRECIPITATION 3.73 INCHES (0.25 INCH BELOW NORMAL)
           SNOWFALL 1.8 INCHES (4.8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL)

NEWBERRY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 45.4 (0.1 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL)
           PRECIPITATION 5.41 INCHES (1.84 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL)
           SNOWFALL TRACE (1.2 INCHES BELOW NORMAL)

                       OCTOBER WEATHER SUMMARY

MORE TO COME LATER.

                          NOVEMBER FORECAST

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING AN EQUAL CHANCE
OF AN ABOVE AND BELOW NORMAL MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE BUT A
GREATER CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER ALL OF UPPER
MICHIGAN IN NOVEMBER 2012.

                        NOVEMBER CLIMATOLOGY

RESIDENTS OF UPPER MICHIGAN FEEL WINTER`S TIGHTENING GRIP MORE AND
MORE OFTEN DURING NOVEMBER AS THE SUN`S WARMING RAYS BECOME
INCREASINGLY FEEBLE. POSSIBLE SUNSHINE DECLINES FROM 605 MINUTES ON
11/1 TO 533 MINUTES ON 11/30. AS A RESULT...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
DURING NOVEMBER IS AS MUCH AS 15 DEGREES LOWER THAN IN OCTOBER.

DESPITE THE INEVITABLE DECLINE TOWARD WINTER...PLEASANTLY MILD
WEATHER OFTEN MAKES AN APPEARANCE DURING THE ELEVENTH MONTH. MANY
RECENT NOVEMBERS HAVE BEEN QUITE MILD. IN FACT...NOVEMBER 2001 GOES
DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE WARMEST EVER AT ALL REPORTING
STATIONS WITH A MEAN TEMPERATURE 10 OR MORE DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
MANY STATIONS REPORTED MORE DAYS WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OVER 50
THAN IN ANY OTHER ELEVENTH MONTH...18 DAYS AT IRONWOOD AND IRON
MOUNTAIN AND 13 DAYS AT THE MARQUETTE NWS. AT THE MARQUETTE NWS...13
DAILY RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM OR MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE EITHER
BROKEN OR TIED. NOVEMBER 2009 FEATURED UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER AND
A MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE 6 TO 9 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE...ENOUGH TO
QUALIFY THE MONTH AS THE WARMEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD AT HOUGHTON AND
ONE OF THE TOP THREE WARMEST THROUGHOUT UPPER MICHIGAN. NOVEMBER
1999 IS ALSO AMONG THE TOP FIVE WARMEST ON RECORD AT MANY PLACES.
BETWEEN 11/8/99 AND 11/10/99...HIGH TEMPERATURES OVER MUCH OF UPPER
MICHIGAN REACHED NEAR OR ABOVE 70. RESIDENTS OF IRON MOUNTAIN
ENJOYED A MONTHLY-RECORD-TYING 75-DEGREE AFTERNOON ON 11/9/99. THE
73-DEGREE READING AT THE MARQUETTE NWS ON 11/9/99 WAS THE HIGHEST
NOVEMBER TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED AT THAT STATION. IRONWOOD REACHED
72 ON THAT DAY...ONLY TWO DEGREES SHY OF THE MONTHLY RECORD 74.
OTHER WARM SPELLS OCCURRED IN EARLY NOVEMBER 1990...1978 AND 1975.
THE RECORD WARMTH THAT ENVELOPED UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THE FIRST
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1975 AND SPREAD TO THE EAST COAST DURING THE SECOND
WEEK CONTRIBUTED TO THE INTENSITY OF THE STORM THAT ROARED OVER LAKE
SUPERIOR ON 11/10/75 AND SANK THE EDMUND FITZGERALD.

BUT NOVEMBER CAN ALSO FEATURE ALMOST MID WINTER CHILL. NOVEMBER
1995...1976...AND 1959 ARE AMONG THE TOP THREE COLDEST NOVEMBERS AT
MOST LOCATIONS. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED AS MUCH AS 5 TO 8 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL DURING THESE MONTHS...WITH READINGS MORE TYPICAL OF
DECEMBER. ONE OF THE COLDEST AIRMASSES EVER TO INVADE UPPER MICHIGAN
DURING NOVEMBER IMPACTED  THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES BETWEEN 11/28/76
AND 11/30/76. THE LOWEST NOVEMBER TEMPERATURE EVER OBSERVED AT
IRONWOOD (-18)...THE MARQUETTE NWS (-13)...IRON MOUNTAIN (-10)...
NEWBERRY (-10) AND MANISTIQUE (-6) OCCURRED ON ONE OF THOSE THREE
DAYS.

SIGNIFICANT SNOW...ESPECIALLY LAKE EFFECT SNOW...BECOMES A GREATER
THREAT DURING NOVEMBER. AS MORE FREQUENT COLD AIR INVASIONS PASS
OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR...THE AIRMASS
BECOMES INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE. THE RESULT IS A GREATER FREQUENCY OF
SNOW SHOWERS...WHICH ARE TYPICALLY HEAVIER AND MORE WIDESPREAD OVER
HIGHER TERRAIN JUST DOWNWIND OF LAKE SUPERIOR. THE AGGREGATE WARMTH
OF ALL THE GREAT LAKES ALSO INFLUENCES THE INTENSITY AND PATH OF
LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS APPROACHING THE AREA. IN MOST CASES...
SURFACE LOWS INTENSIFY MORE QUICKLY AND TAKE A PATH FARTHER WEST
THAN THEY WOULD IF THE LAKES WERE ABSENT. THIS DEVIATION IN STORM
PATH IN GENERAL FAVORS HEAVIER SNOW ACROSS WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN
THAN IN THE EAST. HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS ACROSS THE WEST THAT ALSO ARE
FAVORED FOR LAKE EFFECT SNOW THUS HAVE THE HIGHEST NORMAL NOVEMBER
SNOWFALL...AND LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION. IRONWOOD WAS
SMOTHERED UNDER 78 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF IN NOVEMBER 1989. ON
THE OTHER HAND...RECORD LOW SNOW FELL IN NOVEMBER 2009. DURING THAT
MONTH...THE COMBINATION OF UNSEASONABLE WARMTH THAT SHUT OFF THE
LAKE EFFECT SNOW MACHINE AND A DRY FLOW THAT PREVENTED LARGER SCALE
STORM SYSTEMS AND PRECIPITATION FROM MOVING INTO THE UPPER GREAT
LAKES RESULTED IN RECORD LOW SNOWFALL UNDER 1 TO 6 INCHES AT MOST
LOCATIONS. ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FELL AT MUNISING IN NOVEMBER 2009.
AVERAGE NOVEMBER SNOW RANGES FROM NEARLY 24 INCHES AT HOUGHTON AND
IRONWOOD TO AROUND 6 INCHES OR LESS FROM IRON MOUNTAIN TO
MANISTIQUE.

DESTABILIZATION OF COLD AIR MASSES OVER LAKE SUPERIOR AND RAPIDLY
INTENSIFYING SURFACE LOWS HELP MAKE NOVEMBER ONE OF THE WINDIEST
MONTHS OF THE YEAR...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. THERE IS TRUTH
IN THE PHRASE...GALES OF NOVEMBER.

                        OUTLOOK FOR WINTER

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING AN EQUAL CHANCE
OF AN ABOVE AND BELOW NORMAL 3-MONTH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OVER ALL OF
UPPER MICHIGAN IN DECEMBER 2012 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2013. THE CPC
FORECAST INDICATES THERE IS A GREATER CHANCE OF BELOW NORMAL 3-MONTH
PRECIPITATION OVER THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN...BUT AN EQUAL
CHANCE OF ABOVE AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE EAST HALF.

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