Gunflint Lake and Grand Marais beat historical records for December snowfall and precipitation
December was an interesting month for residents and meteorologists in northern Minnesota.
Not only did the North Shore experience a severe 70 mph windstorm, but numerous regions encountered record-breaking snow and precipitation in December.
Two locations in Cook County, Gunflint Lake, and Grand Marais, surpassed historical snowfall and precipitation records.
Gunflint Lake received 27.9 inches of accumulated snowfall in December of 2022, beating the 1977 record of 26.9 inches by exactly one inch.
Ketzel Levens, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Gunflint Lake also received 2.15 inches of precipitation, the third-highest December precipitation amount recorded.
“I think it’s probably one of the more impressive ones (records),” Levens said.
While Gunflint Lake, located in the Rainy River Headwaters, received record snowfall, the town of Grand Marais along the Lake Superior shore had a different experience.
Grand Marais fell short of meeting or exceeding accumulated snowfall in December. However, Grand Marais broke the 2015 precipitation record of 3.89 inches. In December of 2022, Grand Marais received 3.92 inches.
Accumulated snowfall data from the National Weather Service shows Grand Marais received a total of 24.1 inches during December. Well under the 2013 record of 33.7 inches.
Levens said the data collected by the National Weather Service CoCoRaHS volunteer observers in Grand Marais varied significantly throughout the terrain ridge of the Sawtooth Bluffs.
The CoCoRaHS stands for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network. It is a volunteer-based citizen science program working together to measure and map precipitation events.
Levens said there are quite a few CoCoRaHS volunteers in Grand Marais. “They are up and down the terrain ridge, and they really show off what a tight gradient it is,” she said.
“That always really stands out to me. What an incredible gradient of snowfall that we see along the Sawtooth terrain ridge,” Levens said.
In addition to Gunflint Lake and Grand Marais, numerous other areas along the North Shore set new December records.
Grand Portage finished December with 31.4 inches of snowfall, nearly meeting the 2013 record of 35.2 inches. Levens said snowfall in Grand Portage was the fourth highest and the 3.23 inches of precipitation received was the sixth highest on record.
Farther down the shore, Two Harbors received its third-highest snowfall on record and tied for third highest in precipitation. Northwest of Two Harbors, the town of Brimson also set a new precipitation and snowfall record.
Levens said the data collected from December is fascinating, but her team is most excited about Duluth breaking the 1950 snowfall record of 44.3 inches. In December of 2022, Duluth surpassed the historical record with a total of 44.9 inches.
After receiving the final December data, Levens said the meteorologists at the National Weather Service broke out sparkling grape juice in celebration. “We were just really excited.”
Levens said breaking snowfall records is one thing, but breaking winter precipitation records “is a whole different ball game.”
She added, “Winter is our drier time of year. So to be really up there in terms of water content is something to keep an eye on and really attest to just how wet some of our storms in December were.”
With the increased precipitation in December, Levens expects that Lake Superior water levels will increase, similar to last summer. In addition, she expects this spring to be an excellent opportunity to view waterfalls.
WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Ketzel Levens, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, about the December data. Audio from the interview is below.
National Weather Service graphs and data:
Kalli Hawkins January 16, 2023
