Latest bout of winter weather may not be the last

Today’s system of winter revival is making its way out of the area, but this is not the last we’ll see of snow.

Seeing between three and eight inches touch down in the U.P. this late in the season may seem surprising to many, but according to the National Weather Service, it’s not uncommon.

“This is the time of year when there’s a lot more moisture with the systems being able to pull some of the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, where it’s warmer, and starting to evaporate more water,” said NWS Meteorologist Todd Kluber, “and so, we start to see some of these wetter snowfall systems, and some stronger systems at that, move through this time of year. So, it’s definitely not out of the ordinary for us to see some heavy, wet snow throughout the month of April.”

This winter’s frigid temperatures have kept snowfall totals in Marquette County at between 170 and 180 inches at most, which is below average. A lack of open water on Lake Superior prevented much of the usual lake effect snowfall.

The warmer weather is helping to make up for it, as another six inches or more are expected Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night in the Western U.P., which could lead to more school closures.

Because Monday’s closure comes after April 1, districts like the Marquette Area Public Schools and the NICE Community Schools can submit a waiver so that the closing doesn’t count among the others. Even if it did, students at NICE wouldn’t have much to worry about.

Bryan DeAugustine, Superintendent of NICE Community Schools, said, “We’re kind of lucky here at NICE Community Schools, we billed in extra days into our calendar, so we actually had one more snow day to give if we needed it and, lo and behold, this morning we opened the curtains and we had all that snow on the ground.”

The NWS provides in-depth information to area superintendents regarding forecasts and conditions and sometimes offer live updates over the phone.