Though this May began with a step back into winter, the month completes our transition into the warm season.
May starts with an average high of 54° and a low of 34° at the National Weather Service. By month’s end, the average high pops to 68°, while the low is 45°.
The hottest May temperature at the NWS was 95° set on May 28, 1969. That day, it hit 100° in the City of Marquette. Iron Mountain also touched 100° on May 31, 1934– Ironwood hit 100° that same day.
The coldest temperature at the NWS site is 17° set on May 9, 1983. In Marquette, the all-time coldest is 16° reached on May 2, 1861. Iron Mountain also bottomed out at 16° after the big snowstorm in 1990.
Speaking of snowstorms, the latest– and hopefully last– snowstorm of the season was certainly a big one for the highlands around Marquette. Over two feet fell at the NWS, pushing the winter total to 265.1″. This means it’s the fourth snowiest in the history of the NWS in Negaunee Township.
Looking ahead, the NOAA outlook for May places Upper Michigan in the “equal chances” category. This indicates uncertainty in whether May will end up warmer or cooler than normal. However, the precipitation outlook for the U.P. is solidly in the “below normal” category.
