Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

On October 17, 1961, the temperature hit a sizzling 81 degrees at the newly established National Weather Service (NWS) site.  Official observations began at the site east of Negaunee 51 years ago this October.  This temperature is the warmest so late in the season at the site and the latest 80-degree temperature on record.  The record late-season heat was produced by a strong southwesterly flow ahead of a cold front in the Plains (Image above).  Behind the front, it cooled off and temperatures were near to a little below average the rest of the month. 

The high also reached 81 in Marquette that same day.  The temperature in town tied the record high set back in 1947.  Ironwood hit 82 tying a record high also set back in 1947.  While the 81 at the NWS site is the latest 80 there, this doesn’t hold true at other U.P. locations.  For instance, Iron Mountain reached 80 as late as October 23, 1963.  It reached 83 degrees in Ironwood on October 22, 1947.  As pointed out the other day, October 1947 was a warm one.  The mean temperature in Marquette was nearly 10 degrees above average that month. 

Through mid-month, the NWS site’s mean temperature sits at 3.3 degrees below average.  Obviously, the pattern has flipped.  Today was the warmest day since October 4 when it reached 69 degrees.  While it will cool back some, the overall pattern points toward near to above average temperatures into next week.  It still appears that cold will build over western Canada, but the flow will not be conducive to delivering the cold air to us until at least later next week.