weather

Macomb’s Miller mad about Canada’s smoke

Posted on August 4, 2025 by farlane

Smokey Belle Isle Sunset by Ryan Jake Jakubowski

The Detroit News reports that as Michigan has extended its 10th air quality advisory of the season, Macomb County’s Candice Miller is calling on Canada to do more about wildfires that are degrading Michigan’s air quality:

“Breathing in the Canadian wildfires smoke cannot be the new normal,” said Candice Miller, Macomb County public works commissioner.

Since June, wildfires in Canada have caused decreased air quality in bordering states in the U.S., prompting the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to so far issue ten advisories warning against unhealthy breathing conditions. Miller called for U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra to press Canadian officials to increase efforts combating wildfires and improve forestry management.

“Ambassador Hoekstra needs to make some noise,” Miller said. “Smoke from Canada wildfires should not be a regular part or our summers but unfortunately that’s become the norm in our state and others. It’s unacceptable for our friends in Canada to simply say, ‘The fires will burn out’ or ‘Wait until December.’”

…During mid-afternoon on Thursday, the air quality index in central Macomb County was between 140 to 150, a range described as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” “That description misses the mark, in my opinion. Smoke is unhealthy for all groups,” Miller said. At the same time in the Marquette area, the air quality index was 139, a day after measuring 161. In Seney, in the central portion of the Upper Peninsula, the reading was 160 during the morning of July 30, the highest in the state.

Ryan took these photos last night on Belle Isle at sunset. Click the pic above to follow Ryan & see more on Facebook and for sure check out J&C Photography to view & purchase his work and to hire him for photographic services including drone photography & some very cool 360 degree panoramas.

Jellyfish Stormfront

Posted on August 2, 2025August 2, 2025 by farlane

Jellyfish Stormfront by Tom Parrent

Tom shot this terrifying image of the August 2, 2015 superstorm from Traverse City’s Old Mission Peninsula. See more on his Facebook.

Check out a full retrospective on one of the strongest storms in Michigan’s modern history on Leelanau.com.

Michigan Air Quality remains terrible

Posted on July 14, 2025July 14, 2025 by farlane

Mackinac Bridge Haze July 14 by Riviera Motel of Mackinac City

The Huron Daily Tribune shares that the National Weather Service & Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy issued an air quality alert for elevated levels of fine particulate over the weekend:

“Pollutants across the state are expected to reach the very unhealthy to unhealthy range in northern locations, with ranges of unhealthy to (unhealthy for sensitive groups) further south,” according to the service. Wildfire smoke from Canada is pushing into Michigan from till Monday. Increased fine particulate levels reached the western portion of the Upper Peninsula on Saturday afternoon.

This zoomed in view of the live Mackinac Bridge webcam at the Riviera Motel shows how much the smoke from wildfires is impacting the view of the Bridge this morning in Mackinac City.

Michigan making a run at 100

Posted on June 19, 2025June 19, 2025 by farlane

Sea and Sky by Walter E. Elliot

mLive’s Mark Torregrossa shares that a heat dome will cover much of Michigan beginning Saturday that is expected to keep temps in the 90s until at least next Thursday!! Mark shares that Michigan hasn’t hit 100 degrees since 2012 since our highest heat in recent years has been coming from the northwest:

This won’t be the case with the weekend’s and next week’s heat. The coming heat is going to build in from the southeast. This means what should be the hottest corner of Michigan will be the hottest. When all of the concrete and pavement of southeast Michigan gets hot it can get really hot.

It will get really hot. Detroit, Ann Arbor and Monroe will make a run at 100 degrees. If so it would be the hottest temperatures in those cities since 2012. (see the temperature map below)

Walter took this yesterday in Grand Haven as a storm rolled across Lake Michigan, and I’ve shared a couple more sizzling shots! See many more at Images by Walter E. Elliot on Facebook and view & purchase his work on his website.

Iced Over on Mackinac Island

Posted on April 14, 2025 by farlane

Iced Over by Joann’s Fudge of Mackinac Island

Today is one of those days when I see the photo first and go looking for the post because honestly WOW! So here are some updates:

Last week Gov Whitmer met with President Trump & officially requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration for 12 counties and the Little Traverse Bands of Odawa. The request has nothing to do with FEMA actions or the ongoing process to pursue a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, which is required to access longer-term recovery programs.
mLive shares that nearly 1,000,000 acres of state forest were impacted by the ice storm. As recovery efforts continue, more than a dozen state parks are closed along with all state-managed trails in the 12 affected counties.
The State of Michigan has some vetted places for your donations.
Bridge shares that Tax Day is tomorrow, but ice storm victims can request additional time for their taxes
Also from Bridge, Michigan likely lost 1/3 of our 90,000 gallon maple syrup crop – we’ll just buy it from Canada, right?
And finally, Mackinac Island shared that while some roads & trails may be closed, they will be ready to welcome visitors starting April 25th.

When the huge ice storm hit, Joann’s Fudge of Mackinac Island shared this photo & noted they might suffer some shipping delays. In addition to a donation to one of the places above, consider buying a little fudge from Joann’s! Here are some more great shots including one of them taking advantage of the ice storm by playing hockey and some great lilac photos from the upcoming Mackinac Island Lilac Festival (June 6-16, 2025). See lots more of their pics on their Facebook.

Northern Michigan Ice Is (not) Nice

Posted on April 1, 2025 by farlane

Deer in the ice storm by Jeremy Bassett

From Friday night through Sunday morning, Northern Lower Michigan was hit with a massive ice storm that left tens of thousands without power, closed the Mackinac Bridge with “the worst ice we’ve every seen on the Bridge”, and led Gov Whitmer to declare a state of emergency in Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac and Alpena counties. Great Lakes Energy shared the status as of yesterday morning

Since the storm began, power has been restored to over 56,000 members.

Just over 45,000 Great Lakes Energy (GLE) members remain without power this morning across 15 of our 26 counties.

Unfortunately, a new storm system hit our southern territory late yesterday, causing additional damage and compounding restoration challenges.

Here are some more pics by Great Lakes Energy Facebook along with some from the Mackinac Bridge Authority, Interlochen Public Radio, and the deer at the top and the last two of escaped horses and the ice storm in Onaway by Jeremy Bassett via 9 & 10 News.

Got any to share? Post them on our Facebook or in the comments below!!

Woody the Woodchuck waves goodbye to winter

Posted on February 2, 2025 by farlane

Woody the Woodchuck by Howell Nature Center

The Howell Nature Center shares: Groundhog Day 2025 is a wrap! Woody has predicted EARLY SPRING! 🌷🪻☀️ Thank you to everyone who came out to help us celebrate with Michigan’s official woodchuck. This was Woody’s 27th prediction, and her accuracy rate is about 65%!

So keep your Punxsutawney Phil forecast of 6 more weeks of winter, I’m going with Michigan’s official groundhog! Last year the Howell Nature Center shared why the event is so meaningful to them, education:

Groundhogs are often villified because of their digging habits, and it is easy to forget about their neat adaptations and their role in the ecosystem. We love sharing information about them to increase understanding, and this event gives Woody the opportunity to serve as an ambassador for her species to help people live in harmony with woodchucks.

DID YOU KNOW…

🐾 Woodchucks dig burrows that can be 50 ft long and include several different chambers for different purposes like raising young, hibernating, and toileting? Other species will even move into abandoned chambers!

🐾 With all that digging, woodchucks help aerate soil and recycle nutrients to increase soil health.

🐾 Woodchucks help disperse seeds, which promotes plant growth and diversity.

🐾 Woodchucks sometimes eat insects, which helps eliminate garden pests like grubs.

🐾 Woodchucks are an important part of the ecosytem and provide food for predators.

🐾 Woodchucks, also known as “whistle pigs”. are one of our only true hibernators in MI.

🐾 Their body temperatures can drop to 40 F and their heart rates to 4 beats per minute during hibernation.

Our wildlife helpline is available to help solve conflict with groundhogs that are living in undesirable places. We have lots of tips and tricks to humanely evict them and encourage them to move to a different location. Trapping and relocating is never a good idea, since it often results in death of groundhogs that are not able to find resources in a new location or of babies that have been orphaned by the removal of their mother.

I hope that you are able to make a donation on their website. Here are some of the injured and orphaned chucks they have cared for in their rehabilitation clinic.

Mounds of snow for Michigan

Posted on January 27, 2025 by farlane

Lake Michigan Ice Mounds by Mark Swanson

The Lansing State Journal reports the National Weather Service says that a triple threat of subzero temperatures, high winds and ice-free Great Lakes really piled up the lake effect snow last week:

“This snowy week is nearly at an end, including a visit from real Arctic air, and many towns near Lake Michigan and Lake Superior got a foot or two of fresh snow as a result,” the NWS said. “Clearly, the vast majority of snow was a result of lake effect, as plenty of other parts of Michigan only saw an inch or two at best.”

Air temperatures in Michigan fell below zero Jan. 18-22. In some cases, the thermometer didn’t read above zero for two days. The coldest reading in the state came Monday night when Stambaugh, in the western UP, registered minus 30 — before wind chill. The town also saw minus 28 on Tuesday night while Ironwood’s NWS observer recorded minus 27.

You can see that the conditions have also piled up shoreline ice in these pictures that Mark took over the weekend at Lincoln Township Beach just north of Grand Mere State Park. Here are some more recent ones and a shot from summer of 2016 below. More in Mark’s 2025 gallery on Flickr!

Get Ready for the Siberian Express

Posted on January 16, 2025 by farlane

Polar Express Selective Color by Charles Bonham

mLive meteorologist Bill Vandermolen shares that frigid air that began its journey in Siberia will be descending on Michigan on Monday:

When we get our normal cold here in Michigan the air moves from southwest Canada, across the northern Plains and into the Great Lakes region. A little stiffer brand of cold comes from northwest Canada in the Yukon Territory. Our most dangerous cold comes straight from the north. If the air is really cold it will originate in Siberia, cross over the North Pole and then pour south into the Great Lakes and Northeast.

We are probably just lucky the Great Lakes still have 35 degree to 40 degree surface waters. This same Arctic outbreak of cold would take us 10 degrees colder if it happened with colder Great Lakes’ waters. In looking at the pattern I wouldn’t be surprised to see another Arctic outbreak in a week or two when the lake water is colder.

Lucky indeed because even with the temperature moderation of the Great Lakes, the temps Monday & Tuesday do not look fun!

Charles is one of Michigan in Pictures’s most enduring photographers. He took the photo below earlier this week in Leland’s Fishtown & you can see more in his Steam Engine, Railroad Photos gallery on Flickr.

Fishtown Spillway by Charles Bonham

Temps on Monday & Tuesday

Michigan offers Winters like no other!

Posted on January 9, 2025 by farlane

Winter Sunshine Waves by Matt Kazmierski

mLive’s Mark Torregrossa is my favorite Michigan meteorologist most especially for articles like the one he shares today about why Michigan’s winter weather is unlike anywhere else in America:

Several times a year I can point out to you weather we see nowhere else in America. One of those times is when we get Arctic air crossing the 40-degree water of Lake Michigan.

Look at the low temperature forecast for tomorrow morning, Jan. 9. You could call a friend in northeast Lower Michigan, and they will tell you it’s very cold and near zero degrees. Look at the “warmer” air that blows off of 40-degree Lake Michigan. We will have spots around Kalamazoo, South Haven and Benton Harbor that only drop to 20 degrees. Southeast Lower Michigan can be colder than the northwest shoreline of Lake Michigan at this time of year. Thursday morning’s map clearly shows that strange temperature pattern. We also see the warmer air under the clouds and lake effect snow stretching southeast off Lake Michigan.

Matt took this at Nordhouse Dunes back in March of 2022 & the one below in March of 2023. Head over to his Flickr for his latest!