Winter is upon us and we barely had time to dig our mittens out of that box in the basement.
Our compatriots in the Northwoods are being hammered by an early snowstorm.
Officials from the National Weather Service say at least a foot of snow has fallen on parts of the Upper Peninsula and another foot or two could accumulate in some areas before the front passes through the region tomorrow.
Northern Michigan University in Marquette has closed.
More from the Associated Press:
Meteorologist Justin Titus says Tuesday morning that a foot is on the ground at the weather service's office in Negaunee Township. Generally, 6 inches to a foot had fallen across much of the central and western Upper Peninsula. Snowfall started Monday and driving conditions are hazardous amid heavy snow. Titus says roads are in "very poor condition," with 2 to 3 inches of snow falling an hour on Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service says travel in the UP will be difficult and power outages might occur. They say those in "remote areas such as at a hunting camp" should watch weather forecasts closely as the storm and ensuing cold could create a dangerous situation.
An Arctic weather system is moving across the northern Midwest, and it's expected to bring a sharp drop in temperatures across Michigan.
The jet stream is dipping over our region bringing cold arctic air with it.
Wunderground's Jeff Masters says the storm and the cold air coming our way was, in part, caused by Super Typhoon Nuri:
... which caused a ripple effect on the jet stream when the remains of the typhoon "bombed" over the weekend into one of the most intense extratropical storms ever observed in the waters west of Alaska. This superstorm forced the jet stream to bulge far to the north over western North America, bringing a strong ridge of high pressure responsible for numerous daily record high temperatures in California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington over the weekend. A compensating southwards dip in the jet is now materializing over the North Central U.S.
Thanks a lot, Super Typhoon Nuri - because of you, I'll have to figure out where I stored my winter hat.
