Thursday, 2/1

For once, I wasn't exaggerating.

Yesterday I made the off-handed comment that we had our two weeks of winter this year. And that prompted daily blog reader Jennifer of Madison to accuse me of, perhaps, going off on a flight of fancy, as I sometimes do when I try to make a point. That's something I'll cop to; after exaggeration is a great way to get a point across.

Only Jennifer, in this case I wasn't exaggerating. Here's a picture from downtown Marquette at just after 1 yesterday afternoon, when we broke a record high temperature for the day (and the fourth highest temperature ever recorded in Marquette in January--

See? It looks more like March 31^st than January 31^st. It's symptomatic of our “winter” so far, in which we had snow on January 12^th and 13^th and since then...

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

I was speaking with someone yesterday about how some major UP winter events—the UP 200, in particular—might have to deal with the lack of winter. No snow last year led the UP 200 to be cancelled, and unless something happens that's not in the forecast, and happens soon, it might not occur for the second year in a row.

Stop for a second to take that in—there's a very good possibility that for the second year in a row a major UP event might not happen because there's just not enough snow on the ground or in the forecast..

And there are still people who believe climate change isn't a thing?

Maybe what happened last year—the fact that we received 100 inches of the white stuff AFTER the UP 200 will occur, and occur before the race, allowing it to be run. But if it doesn't, the toll on not only the race but the businesses that depend upon visitors to it—or heck, just depend upon snow in general—could be tragic.

Jennifer, what I'm about to say is also not an exaggeration. Even though I'm someone who doesn't like snow (or winter in general)—I'm pulling for some of it to actually fall from the sky someday soon.

Because if it doesn't...

(jim@wmqt.com)