Deep freeze: Temperatures to plunge following Midwest blizzard
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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Temperatures in the region have yet to get below zero this winter but that will soon change, forecasters say.
Arctic air will invade this weekend in the wake of a storm expected to deliver 7 or more inches of snow today and Saturday in the central Upper Peninsula.
"The heavier and wet snow will move in starting this morning, the National Weather Service said. "Snow will be heaviest and wettest this afternoon and tonight."
Lake effect snow is expected Saturday when winds could gust at up to 40 mph.
Snow totals of up to 18 inches are possible in the Chicago area, said AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
"As the storm turns the corner and heads northeastward over the southern Plains, the strengthening process will begin with a vengeance as Arctic air is injected,” Rayno said. Blizzard conditions may expand to at least six states in the Midwest, he said.
Temperatures locally are expected to plunge to near zero Saturday night and stay in the single digits or lower through Tuesday, according to the NWS. Predicted lows are minus-7 Sunday night, minus-9 Monday night and minus-6 Tuesday night.
Wednesday should be partly sunny with a high near 13.
The long-range forecast, meanwhile, continues to favor a milder winter. The Climate Prediction Center indicates a 45% chance of above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation through March in the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.
There is just a 20% chance of below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation as El Nino conditions persist into spring. El Nino, a natural climate cycle that temporarily warms parts of the ocean and affects weather patterns around the world, is typically associated with milder winters in much of the northern U.S.
Until now, that's been the case at Iron Mountain-Kingsford. Temperatures in December averaged 30.6 degrees, tying 2015 as the second-warmest December on record.
The mean December temperature at Iron Mountain-Kingsford since record-keeping began in the early 1900s is 20 degrees. The warmest December was in 1913, when temperatures averaged 31.9 degrees.
The highest reading last month at the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wastewater Treatment Plant was 51 degrees Dec. 16 and the lowest was 12 degrees Dec. 20. Record highs were reached on two straight days -- 46 degrees on Dec. 26 and 48 degrees on Dec. 27.
Water equivalent precipitation in December totaled 1.01 inches, which was a half-inch below average. There was a mere one-tenth inch of snow.
From October through December, the snowfall total at Iron Mountain-Kingsford this century has averaged 17.6 inches. In 2023, the total was for those months was 1.2 inches. It was the first brown Christmas at Iron Mountain-Kingsford since 2002.
Temperatures during all of 2023 averaged 44.8 degrees, which was nearly 3 degrees above average. It ranked as the ninth-warmest year on record, tied with 2021. The warmest year was 1987, when temperatures averaged 46.9 degrees.
Water-equivalent precipitation for 2023 measured 28.65 inches, which was 1.36 inches below average. April and July were exceptionally wet, while June and November were very dry.
The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday showed severe drought in Florence County, Wis., as well as the western half of Gogebic County in the U.P. There was moderate drought in northern Marinette County and Forest County in Wisconsin, along with the U.P.'s Houghton County and eastern Gogebic. Elsewhere in the U.P. conditions were abnormally dry.
Temperatures in January at Iron Mountain-Kingsford typically average 14 degrees with about 13 inches of snowfall.
Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772 ext. 226 or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.