Marquette, MI – A multi-hazard storm is expected to impact Marquette and much of Upper Michigan from tonight through Thursday night, bringing strong winds, mixed precipitation, and accumulating snow before tapering Friday.
According to the National Weather Service in Marquette, southerly winds will increase tonight with gusts between 25 and 45 miles per hour, strongest over higher terrain in northern Marquette County and along the Lake Superior shoreline from Big Bay to Grand Marais. Winds are expected to ease briefly Thursday morning.
On Thursday, lighter winds will accompany patchy morning mixed precipitation, including rain, freezing rain, and snow. Conditions are expected to deteriorate by Thursday afternoon as precipitation becomes more widespread and transitions to rain and snow.
By Thursday night, colder air moves in quickly. Northerly winds are forecast to peak above 45 mph over the Keweenaw Peninsula and along Lake Superior, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph elsewhere. Temperatures are expected to fall rapidly into the single digits, changing all precipitation to snow and creating areas of blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall rates greater than a half inch per hour are most likely over higher terrain from Copper Harbor to Ironwood and across the Michigamme Highlands north and east of U.S. 41. Forecast snowfall totals Thursday afternoon and night range from 3 to 7 inches in those higher elevations, with 2 to 5 inches possible near L’Anse and lighter totals toward Marquette and eastern Upper Michigan.
The National Weather Service warns that roads could become hazardous Thursday night due to falling temperatures, strong winds, and blowing snow, particularly across western Upper Michigan. Travel impacts are expected to increase overnight into early Friday.
Residents are urged to secure loose outdoor items, prepare for rapidly changing road conditions, and monitor updates as the storm evolves.
