×

Rainy summer may be ahead for U.P.

ESCANABA — Summer will officially begin on June 21, but warm, sunny weather has already been seen in the area over the past few weeks. Jim Salzwedel, a hydrometeorological technician for the National Weather Service’s Marquette office, said this summer may end up being wetter than average locally.

As of early June, Salzwedel said Delta County’s weather has been roughly in line with expectations for this time of year.

“It’s been pretty typical so far,” he said.

However, he noted some areas of the county — including the peninsulas of Garden and Stonington — received relatively high amounts of rainfall in May.

“They were a little bit on the wet side, there,” he said.

Salzwedel also shared information from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC)’s seasonal outlook for the area from June through August. In terms of temperature, he said the CPC does not have any strong indications of how these months will play out.

“It’s pretty much just equal chances for that particular category,” he said. According to the CPC’s predictions for most of the Upper Peninsula, there is a 34 percent chance of near-normal temperatures and 33 percent chances of both below-normal and above-normal temperatures this summer.

The CPC’s findings related to precipitation are slightly more conclusive.

“There’s a good chance that it could be above-normal precipitation,” Salzwedel said. For the central and eastern U.P., the CPC has predicted a 36 percent chance of above-normal precipitation levels, a 33 percent chance of near-normal precipitation levels, and a 31 percent chance of below-normal precipitation levels over the coming months.

Salzwedel said people — especially people planning to go out on the water — should check a forecast before heading out this summer and plan accordingly.

“Be prepared for summer thunderstorm weather,” he said.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today