ESCANABA — Spring 2018 may be warmer and wetter than normal in the UUpper Peninsula, according to the National Weather Service long range forecast. Spring officially arrived March 20 and runs through the first day of summer on June 21.

According to Greg Michels, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Marquette, temperatures are trending towards slightly above normal over the next three months.

Precipitation levels are also expected to be slightly higher than normal, noted Michels, adding it’s hard to predict as of now if the levels of wetness throughout the region will be as heavy as those in 2017.

“At the rate we’re going, right now, it would be hard to say that,” said Michels, adding weather patterns the weather service has been seeing are persistent and having the Great Lakes impacting weather trends constantly makes it difficult to say for sure how the region’s wetness will be.

On average, the south-central U.P. receives 27 to 30 inches of liquid precipitation each year. In October of 2017, 37 inches of liquid precipitation were recorded at the National Weather Service’s Gladstone observation station. The high levels of precipitation caused most of the ground throughout the U.P. to be saturated, creating standing water throughout the region.

As for the past winter season, Michels said the Upper Peninsula experienced below normal temperatures and was wetter than normal in the beginning of January.

In February through March, the U.P. region is going through a “dry” spell where there isn’t a lot of moisture coming off the Great Lakes and surrounding areas, noted Michels.

Most of the snowfall received throughout the U.P. this winter was lake effect snow, noted Michels, adding there wasn’t much outside help from traveling moisture to attribute to the snow.

Because below average temperatures kicked off the winter, Michels explained the ice coverage on the Great Lakes was increased. At one point, 75 percent of the Great Lakes were covered in ice, noted Michels. With warmer temperatures coming into the region, the amount of ice is starting to decrease at a steady rate, he said.