If you’ve lived in the Keweenaw for more than one winter, you know better than to trust the calendar. April might be considered spring, but the weather hasn’t always agreed, and neither does local data.
Bruce Taavola, official National Weather Service snowfall measurer for Adams Township, summed it up best: “I measured 13.5 inches in April 2020, with another inch in May. In 2021, April brought 11.6 inches. Two years ago it was even snowier with 17.2 inches in April and 3.7 more in May.” That’s over 20 inches of snow in the “spring” months of 2023, when most residents have started dreaming about bike rides and backyard fires.
While this Apr. has not been too extreme, the Keweenaw has a habit of delivering surprise snowfalls just when you think it’s safe to pack away your shovel or snowbrush, and May has a track record for dropping a few inches. Still, even if we do receive the May snowstorm, it melts fast this time of year. The days are longer, the sun’s higher, and each melt brings us closer to summer trails and open water.
So, is winter over? Let’s just say, don’t take your snow tires off just yet.
