UPPER PENINSULA -- Each year brings a menagerie of weather to Upper Michigan, and 2010 was no exception. There was something for everyone, from the skiers to the beachgoers, from the storm lovers to the sun worshippers.
2010 started out more wilting than wild in Upper Michigan. A fairly quiet January and February led into a warm, dry March. Most of the winter snowpack was gone by April.
Then May reminded us how up and down U.P. weather can be.
"Yeah, we started off with some extremes in May as well with the snowstorm early, but then warming up rapidly and getting some record high temperatures," said National Weather Service Meteorologist, Robin Turner.
The summer months saw plenty of beach weather, with temperatures consistently above average. However, Mother Nature was not content to let us soak up sunshine 24-7.
"We had a few spots here where we were a little bit drier than normal, but overall we ended up with enough precipitation that we finally left the drought category. This is great news for us because we had actually been in a drought since August of 2008," Turner added.
Three weak tornados, two of which hit Norway, was about it for severe weather.
The strongest storms, though, were yet to come, even after the Labor Day wind storm.
"The October 26 and 27 extra tropical Cyclone, for the Upper Peninsula, the main impacts were a lot of trees down, a lot of power outages. Basically, commerce was stopped on Lake Superior because of the storm, the large waves. Wave heights were up to 20 to 30 feet," Turner explained.
Thousands in the U.P. lost power, some for days.
Winter, though starting quietly, is back on track for a typical winter as we approach 2011. And speaking of 2011, the climate prediction center is forecasting a wet and cold first three months.
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