Snow, winds, blizzards oh my! Yes lots of people are jumping for joy, well many people, those who love snow and businesses that rely on winter recreation tourism. It certainly has been a slow start and any well seasoned Yooper like myself know that winter always arrives, at times not always when we would like it to, but better late than never right?
Above: at the Calumet Tamarack station 1.12.23
So the storm has arrived to the southern Midwest and made its ways into the lower UP early this morning depositing very little snow. Small snow totals to report for todays report, it won’t be until tomorrow and Sunday when the bigger snow numbers come out. There’s a total of 75 snow stations listed in FunintheUP snow totals report along with comparison to last year at this time each update. Days when we have snow storms keeps me pretty busy doing live videos, taking pics and videos along with keeping updated on all the data. It’s some serious dedication to measure 6 snow stations that require driving 45 miles a day combined with other things I do during the day. If I didn’t love the season of winter and playing in the snow I certainly could find other things to do with the time I spend doing this. I think helping gather data at my snow stations helps with having better understanding of winter in the UP. People can understand and see how snowfall varies from place to place. Years ago you were lucky to see a dozen weather stations reported. So thank you for following the updates, whether you’ve been following my snow reports from as far back as 2011 or have just stumbled upon them, I am glad to have you here.
Above: Calumet 1.12.23 before the snow started falling today
I am not going to write a ton tonight as tomorrow I will be very busy with measuring snow at the 6 stations, live snow reports, going sledding, xc skiing, or perhaps snowshoeing, and maybe kite snowboarding too, we shall see what fun I can get into tomorrow. I know it’s going to be cold and snowy that’s for sure.
So tonight winds are starting to shift from east to north winds and as we get closer into the mid morning hours on Saturday we should really start seeing that lake effect hit much of the UP north of highway M28. Blizzard conditions are highly likely and as I thought would happen the NWS has issued a blizzard warning along with winter storm warnings.
Snow totals have gone up too, so that’s pretty interesting. Winter forecasting is so difficult as I have said before, we have a lot of variables here in the UP. We do need this snow, but as it’s always important to remember to drive slow and clean your windows off so you can see, stay home if you have no where to be. Also you have to have some supplies in your vehicle that can help if you get stranded or stuck.
I recommend jumper cables, warm blanket/s, extra hats, mitts, boats, socks, tow strap, small shovel, a bucket of kitty litter , sand or gravel like mine rock, flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries, emergency flashing red light. Those are a few of the things I carry, you’ll be surprised if you live in the UP long enough how many of those things you will use, not just during the winter but all season.
Anyway stay safe out there wherever you’re driving and if it is to the UP we will have snow for snowmobiling, xc skiing, downhill, and snowshoeing, and yes sledding.
Remember on Mondays at 5pm you can watch my LIVE at 5 TOP 10 Snowiest Places in the UP video on Facebook.
Now onto the snow totals for Jan 11th below.
T = trace, NR = No report, NA = Not Applicable
If daily slot is 0" the station hasn't updated or recorded no snowfall.
Sometimes a station won't update that day and does the next day or even days later.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park only updates at the end of each month.
Keweenaw county only updates during the weekdays.
Sanderson Field Airport (Soo) updates next day.
Most Snowfall Jan 11th: St Ignace downtown with 10 inches
Most Snowfall, season to date: Paradise with 49.2 inches
Biggest 24hr snowfall this season: Bergland with 12.3 inches (10.29.23)
The last couple days we’ve had changes in the #1 snow position between Bergland, Soo airport, and Paradise, after this storm we should see a little separation and perhaps even a new station to take over the number one spot.