Heavy snow will shift from the mountains of the West today into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes this weekend while an icy mix spreads from the Appalachians into the Northeast U.S. Further south on Saturday, severe thunderstorms will be possible over the lower Mississippi Valley while excessive rainfall may bring flash and river flooding to the mid Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Read More >
Marquette, MI
Weather Forecast Office
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Understanding the Marine Layer
The often drastic difference in wind speed between the marine layer and the warm layer aloft can be confusing when looking at marine weather observations. The Great Lakes freighters measure and report winds about 100 feet above the lake surface. Wind measurements at Lake Superior land-based reporting stations vary from about 50 feet at Passage Island to 150 feet at Rock of Ages. Stannard Rock reports winds 115 feet above the lake surface. These wind reports are above the marine layer. Conversely, the data buoys report winds around 15 feet above the lake surface, which is often within the marine layer. The meteorologist and the small boat operator must take the wind reporting heights into account and realize that not all wind reports over Lake Superior will be representative of the winds at the water surface, particularly during the early summer. |
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US Dept of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
Marquette, MI
112 Airpark Drive South
Negaunee, MI 49866
906-475-5212
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