Upper Peninsula Winter Weather
Michigan aligns itself with the adage of “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” since its dynamic weather conditions can often be viewed as a challenge. Another challenge to the weather is the different regions in which Michigan is constructed. For example, some areas have to be respectful of lake-effect snow patterns while others fall squarely within a humid continental climate and the Great Lakes play a major role in the state’s climate. In general, however, winters tend to be long, cold, and snowy for most of the peninsula, and because of its northern latitude, the daylight hours are short around 8 hours between sunrise and sunset in the winter. Lake Superior has the greatest effect on the area, especially the northern and western parts. Many areas get in excess of 100250 inches of snow per yearespecially in the Keweenaw Peninsula and Baraga, Marquette and Alger counties where Lake Superior contributes to the already-mentioned lake-effect snow, making them a prominent part of the Midwestern Snow Belt. Records of 390inches of snow (yes, you read that right) or more have been set in many communities in this area, and the Keweenaw Peninsula averages more snowfall than almost anywhere in the United States. Because of the howling storms across Lake Superior (which cause dramatic amounts of precipitation) it has been said that the lake-effect snow makes the Keweenaw Peninsula the snowiest place east of the Rocky Mountains. Lake-effect snow can cause blinding white snow that can last for days in mere minutes hence the adage about “waiting five minutes.” Unfortunately, in the midst of a winter storm, the relief of summer seems more than five minutes away!