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000
CXUS53 KMQT 020336
CLMMQT

CLIMATE REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
1135 PM EDT MON OCT 1 2012

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

...THE MARQUETTE MI CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 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              93   09/09/2002
 LOW               21   09/27/1965
HIGHEST            84   09/04        63      21       86  09/12
LOWEST             29   09/27        44     -15       29  09/16
AVG. MAXIMUM     64.0              65.8    -1.8     65.5
AVG. MINIMUM     42.3              45.8    -3.5     44.9
MEAN             53.2              55.8    -2.6     55.2
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.1    -0.1        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 32      3               1.6     1.4        2
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         7.60   1968
 MINIMUM         1.21   1989
TOTALS           4.21              3.72    0.49     6.75
DAILY AVG.       0.14              0.12    0.02     0.22
DAYS >= .01        15              13.4     1.6       17
DAYS >= .10        10               7.8     2.2       11
DAYS >= .50         3               2.5     0.5        3
DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.7     0.3        2
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.52   09/17 TO 09/18

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL            1.7   1993
                        0
                        0
TOTALS            0.0               0.1    -0.1        T
SINCE 7/1         0.0               0.1    -0.1        T
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                MM      MM        0
DAYS >= 1.0         0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         0   MM                             0  MM
 24 HR TOTAL      0.0   09/18 TO 09/18

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     361               297      64      309
 SINCE 7/1        451               482     -31      375
COOLING TOTAL      12                21      -9       22
 SINCE 1/1        345               241     104      318
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              MM
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    MM        DATE   MM
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    40/270    DATE  09/04

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                1     RAIN                       4
LIGHT RAIN               17     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                0     SLEET                      1
FOG                       5     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.

&&

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

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

...RAINFALL GENERALLY BELOW NORMAL EXCEPT OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL...

...SIXTH WETTEST SEPTEMBER AT MUNISING

SEPTEMBER CLIMATE STATISTICS FOR THE MARQUETTE NWS IN NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP

                                    NORMAL   DEPARTURE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE         53.2     55.8  MINUS    2.6
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE    64.0     65.8  MINUS    1.8
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE     42.3     45.8  MINUS    3.5
HEATING DEGREE DAYS          361      297   PLUS     64
COOLING DEGREE DAYS           12       21  MINUS      9
TOTAL PRECIPITATION         4.21     3.72   PLUS   0.49
TOTAL SNOWFALL               0.0      0.1  MINUS    0.1

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE:                    84 ON 9/4
LOWEST TEMPERATURE:                     29 ON 9/27
GREATEST CALENDAR DAY PRECIPITATION:  1.42 ON 9/17
GREATEST 24 HOUR PRECIPITATION:       1.52 ON 9/17-9/18
GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOWFALL:          0
GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL:               0
PEAK WIND SPEED:      40 MPH FROM THE WEST ON 9/4

DAILY RECORD PRECIPITATION ON 8/18...0.61 (OLD RECORD 0.42...2010)
DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON 8/25...68 (66...1990)
DAILY RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE TIED ON 8/25...88 (88...1993/94)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS (FEET/METERS ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL)

                            LAKE SUPERIOR  LAKE MICHIGAN-HURON
09/01/12 DAILY MEAN          601.2/183.25     577.2/175.92
09/30/12 DAILY MEAN          600.9/183.15     576.7/175.77
AVG AUG 2012 DAILY MEAN      601.3/183.27     577.3/175.97
AVG SEP 2011 DAILY MEAN      601.2/183.23     577.9/176.13
LONG TERM SEP DAILY MEAN     602.1/183.53     579.1/176.51
MAXIMUM SEP DAILY MEAN       603.2/183.86     582.0/177.38
                                (1985)           (1986)
MINIMUM SEP DAILY MEAN       600.5/183.02     576.6/175.76
                                (2007)           (1964)

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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      SEPTEMBER CLIMATE HIGHLIGHTS

MORE TO COME LATER.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME OTHER TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OBSERVATIONS ACROSS UPPER
MICHIGAN IN SEPTEMBER 2012 INCLUDE:

IRONWOOD...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 53.8 (1.9 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL)
           PRECIPITATION 3.09 INCHES (0.97 INCH BELOW NORMAL)

ONTONAGON...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 56.7 (1.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL)
 (6 MILES   PRECIPITATION 3.55 INCHES (0.27 INCH ABOVE NORMAL)
  INLAND)

HOUGHTON COUNTY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 53.0 (2.4 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL)
 AIRPORT          PRECIPITATION 3.12 INCHES (0.33 INCH BELOW NORMAL)

COPPER HARBOR...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 57.8 DEGREES
                PRECIPITATION 2.44 INCHES

WATTON (BARAGA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 52.1 DEGREES
                         PRECIPITATION 3.33 INCHES

HERMAN (BARAGA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 50.9 DEGREES
                         PRECIPITATION 3.45 INCHES
                         SNOWFALL TRACE

MARQUETTE CITY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 58.6 (0.8 DEGREE BELOW NORMAL)
                 PRECIPITATION 4.33 INCHES (1.17 INCH ABOVE NORMAL)

CHATHAM (ALGER COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 55.7 DEGREES
                         PRECIPITATION 5.13 INCHES

MUNISING...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 55.4 (1.9 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL)
           PRECIPITATION 6.41 INCHES (2.34 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL)

NEWBERRY...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 55.6 (1.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL)
           PRECIPITATION 3.54 INCHES (0.27 INCH BELOW NORMAL)

STAMBAUGH (IRON COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 51.4 DEGREES
                          PRECIPITATION 2.34 INCHES

MENOMINEE...PRECIPITATION 1.70 INCHES

GARDEN CORNERS (DELTA COUNTY)...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 54.0 DEGREES
                                PRECIPITATION 3.16 INCHES

MANISTIQUE...AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 56.2 (0.9 DEGREE BELOW NORMAL)
             PRECIPITATION 3.63 INCHES (0.11 INCH ABOVE NORMAL)

                     SEPTEMBER WEATHER SUMMARY

MORE TO COME LATER.

                         OCTOBER FORECAST

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING A GREATER THAN
CLIMATOLOGICAL CHANCE OF A BELOW NORMAL MEAN MONTHLY TEMPERATURE
BUT A GREATER CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER ALL OF
UPPER MICHIGAN IN OCTOBER 2012.

                       OCTOBER CLIMATOLOGY

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN OCTOBER CONTINUE THEIR DOWNWARD SPIRAL AS
THE SUN STAYS UP LESS AND LESS EACH DAY...THE OCTOBER MEAN
TEMPERATURE ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN IS ABOUT TEN DEGREES LOWER THAN IN
SEPTEMBER AT MOST PLACES. DAILY POSSIBLE SUNSHINE DECREASES ABOUT 3
OR 4 MINUTES EVERY DAY DURING THE TENTH MONTH FROM 703 MINUTES ON
10/1 TO 607 MINUTES ON HALLOWEEN. REMEMBER THE CHANGE TO STANDARD
TIME THAT USED TO TAKE PLACE THE LAST WEEKEND IN OCTOBER NOW OCCURS
DURING THE FIRST WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER...SO DON`T TURN YOUR CLOCKS
BACK THE LAST SATURDAY NIGHT OF THIS MONTH.

ALTHOUGH AVERAGE TEMPERATURES DECREASE DURING OCTOBER...RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES AT MANY PLACES IN UPPER MICHIGAN ARE STILL IN THE 80S
DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH. IN FACT...RESIDENTS OF IRON
MOUNTAIN BASKED IN A SUMMER LIKE HIGH OF 88 ON 10/3/92. DOWNTOWN
MARQUETTE ENJOYED A TASTE OF SUMMER EVEN AS LATE AS 10/18 IN 1950...
WHEN THE MERCURY REACHED A BALMY 86 DEGREES.

BUT BY THE END OF OCTOBER...THE ICY HAND OF WINTER USUALLY BEGINS TO
GRIP UPPER MICHIGAN HARDER AND HARDER. RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES AT
MONTHS END FALL INTO THE TEENS EVERYWHERE AND EVEN AS LOW AS THE
SINGLE NUMBERS ABOVE ZERO AWAY FROM THE WARMING INFLUENCE OF LAKE
SUPERIOR. ON 10/30/25...IRONWOOD RECORDED A LOW OF 2 DEGREES ABOVE
ZERO. OCTOBER 2002 WAS THE COLDEST OCTOBER ON RECORD AT THE
MARQUETTE NWS...AND AMONG THE TOP TEN COLDEST AT IRONWOOD AND IRON
MOUNTAIN. MONTHLY TEMPERATURES AVERAGED 4 TO 6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN. OCTOBER 2009 WAS ALSO QUITE CHILLY WITH AN
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE 3 TO 5 DEGREES BELOW THE MEAN. MUNISING
REPORTED THE COLDEST OCTOBER ON RECORD IN 2009...AND MANY PLACES
EXPERIENCED A TOP FIVE OR TEN COLDEST TENTH MONTH.

EVEN THOUGH AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN OCTOBER IS LOWER THAN IN
SEPTEMBER AT MOST SPOTS...THE RESIDUAL WARMTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR
USUALLY CAUSES INCREASED LAKE EFFECT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY
DURING THE TENTH MONTH. MORE NUMEROUS ARCTIC AIR MASSES PLUNGING
SOUTH FROM CANADA ARE DESTABILIZED AS THEY CROSS THE RELATIVELY WARM
WATER...RESULTING IN THE INCREASED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. IF THE AIR
IS COLD ENOUGH... HEAVY SNOW CAN FALL...ESPECIALLY OVER HIGHER
TERRAIN JUST DOWNWIND OF LAKE SUPERIOR. BETWEEN 10/11 AND 10/14 IN
2006...AN UNUSUALLY EARLY WINTER STORM BLASTED THE HIGHER TERRAIN
OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN WITH 20 OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW...
INCLUDING AS MUCH AS 26.6 INCHES AT TWIN LAKES IN HOUGHTON COUNTY.
IN OCTOBER 1967...ALMOST 27 INCHES OF SNOW WHITENED IRONWOOD...
INCLUDING 15 INCHES ON 10/25/67. HEAVY SNOW CAN FALL EVEN EARLIER IN
THE MONTH. ON 10/6 TO 10/8 IN 2000...UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW SMOTHERED
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTH CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. BUT DURING WARM
OCTOBERS...LITTLE OR NO SNOW CAN FALL AS WELL. THE MARQUETTE NWS SAW
NO SNOW AT ALL IN OCTOBER 1971...AS DID THE HOUGHTON COUNTY AIRPORT
IN 1986.

THE SAME SURFACE HEATING AND DESTABILIZATION OF COLD AIRMASSES THAT
CAUSES LAKE EFFECT SNOW ALSO RESULTS IN INCREASED WINDINESS OVER
LAKE SUPERIOR. THE GALES OF NOVEMBER OFTEN DO COME EARLY DURING
OCTOBER.

              OUTLOOK FOR LATE FALL INTO EARLY WINTER

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING A GREATER THAN
CLIMATOLOGICAL CHANCE OF AN ABOVE NORMAL 3-MONTH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
BUT AN EQUAL CHANCE OF ABOVE AND BELOW PRECIPITATION OVER ALL OF
UPPER MICHIGAN IN NOVEMBER 2012 THROUGH JANUARY 2013.

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