The Weather and Climate Story

The weather and climate information for my ecoregion is collected by the National Weather Service out of Gaylord, Michigan. The area the Gaylord office covers roughly approximates the boundaries of my ecoregion so it is a good fit.

The climate in Michigan, especially the western side of the state where I live is greatly influenced by Lake Michigan. Because bodies of water tend to hold their energy longer than most substances, the lake serves as a warming influence as weather begins to cool in the fall and serves as a cooling influence as weather begins to warm in the spring. In the summer, these influences can result in lake breezes which blow across the cooler waters of the lake and bring cooler temperatures onto land. Temperatures along the water can be 10 degrees less than those found inland. These influences in the winter can result in lake effect snow which happens when cold air coming from the west travels eastward over the warm waters of the lake. The warm water evaporates and is then wrung out in the form of snow as cooler temperatures over land are met. These lake effect snowstorms typically happen during November through February while the lake remains unfrozen. Once the lake freezes over, there is no water available for these sort of storms to continue.

Generally summers in my ecoregion are sunny with moderate temperatures while winters are cold and snowy, a perfect mix in my mind as I don’t enjoy hot temperatures. I am reminded of a slogan we learned in grade school, “when you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.

National Weather Service:

http://weather.gov/gaylord

WoodTV.com:

http://woodtv.com/2017/01/19/wheres-the-sun-gloomy-cloudy-trend-expected-to-continue/

Teaching Great Lakes Science:

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/lessons/lessons/by-broad-concept/earth-science/microclimates/

NOAA SciJinks:

https://scijinks.gov/lake-snow/