Bitterly Cold Arctic Air to Invade U.P. This Week

MARQUETTE, MI - Monday, January 12, 2009 - According to the National Weather Service in Marquette, Michigan, expect the coldest airmass of the season to arrive over the upper Great Lakes Monday night and persist through Friday. Temperatures will fall below zero by late Monday night and bottom out as low as 20 to 30 below zero on Thursday night over the west half of Upper Michigan away from the moderating influence of the Great Lakes.

Temperatures will struggle to reach zero during the daylight hours Tuesday through Thursday, especially over the interior sections of western Upper Michigan. Plan on wind speeds of 10 to 20 mph during much of this period, resulting in bitterly cold wind chills from 20 to 30 below zero over the west half on Tuesday morning. Even more dangerously cold wind chills of 30 to 35 below zero are possible over the interior west half on Thursday morning and Friday morning.