Where’s the snow?

NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP — So far this season, at least one aspect of Upper Peninsula winters has been a bit more scarce than usual.

Some people in the area might be asking, ‘Where’s the snow?’ Weather patterns related to a strong El Nino have helped prevent the usual amounts of snow — and cold — associated with a U.P. November.

“We just have not had a whole lot of very cold air this year, so the lake effect snow machine has basically been nonexistent up through this point,” said Matt Zika, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Marquette Office. “There’s a lot of areas farther to our south that have already had more snowfall than we’ve had up here in Upper Michigan so far for this year. So, it’s kind of unusual.”

This November looks to be among the top five warmest — and least snowy — in U.P. history.

“If we look at the top fifteen warmest November’s we’ve had on record here in the Marquette area, over eighty percent of the time, we’re then followed up by a warmer–than–normal winter season,” Zika added.

The western U.P. can expect some wet slushy snow overnight, but a lot of that might melt away before next week. The National Weather Service isn’t currently predicting any big snow events for the foreseeable future.