The Copper Country woke up to a dusting on snow on May 8, adding to our 2019-20 season total. See where this year’s 186 inches of snow ranks against our historical records.
Whether it was snow on your graduation day or something else, what are your memories of spring snow in the Keweenaw?
Of course, there’s still snow on Mont Ripley. Will it last until June? Check out the Ripley webcam to see how much remains.
I remember in June of 1997, we were mountain biking at the trails, and detoured our way back to the big snow/dirt pile the city had on top of the hill. We dug down thru a few inches of dirt/sand and found fresh white snow. Also, I think it was 1999, after the city had already put flowers out on College Avenue, when we woke up on May 5th (or 6th) to about 5 inches of fresh snow. It melted pretty quick but riding my bike to campus that day was interesting.
Leading up to graduation on May 23, 1987, the weather had been so nice and warm. I passed that good news along to my family. However, when they drove through snow and sleet to Houghton, they questioned their fancy graduation clothes. It turned so cold that they put layers on, bought sweatshirts, and no longer cared about dresses and nylons.
During the winter of 1978-1979, there was one heck of a heavy snowfall (18″+) in late March or early April, and Ripley was still open with plenty of snow. I was a freshman that year, and vividly remember skiing in probably the single biggest snow event of that record breaking snowfall winter. During summer surveying field course in the end of May after regular classes ended, we still found snow in many parts of the town and in the hills.
I believe it was ’63 or 4 there was still sketchy snow on Ripley and it was a mint Copper Country spring day. I’d always had my eye on the drift that survived well into spring along the lip of the Quincy plain. I worked my way up to the drift and proceeded east soaking up the spring glory but not realizing it could be dangerous. The snow was quite firm under my skis until I realized I was sinking in a bit. Suddenly there was a loud boom and I was falling with my skis and feet over my head and looking up at a sliver of sky filled with snow dust. I fell about ten feet, landing on my back fairly gently as my fall was tempered by the walls of the widening crack. My ski tracks had sliced off about a 100 foot long snow cornus! I was resting on a shelf, a bit shook and could hear trees snapping off below. After taking my skis off, I worked back along the shelf to where I could regain the top of the drift. A bit more adventure than I bargained for!
I remember leaving school for the summer in the first week in June with piles of snow and ice on the street corners still melting down from a season of 300 inches or so in 1967 or so…..was a great year on the ski hill!
I’m pretty sure it was 1971, when we either got 12″ on May 8th, or 8″ on May 12th. Whichever, it was too much too late in the year!
Although, when we moved to Munising in 1974 they were still talkiing about the recent year the 4th of July parade was postponed because of a snowstorm………….
I do recall a beautiful sunny day in May in the early 1960s which was especially warm. Folks were out in bathing suits lying on blankets on the DHH lawn. But quite a few small snow piles were still scattered around them in the general area.
I remember catching rays behind Wadsworth in May 1979. The tanning was intensified by all the snow still surrounding you.
During my summer camp (June 1973) while we were learning about surveying we found enough snow to have a snowball fight. I think this was the city/university snow dump. But, we didn’t have to dig through inches of dirt and gravel to find fresh snow, it was right on top. During my 6 years at Tech I saw it snow every Sept 21.
It was either Easter weekend 2006 or 2007. We had green grass and the ski hills were closed for the year. It started snowing on Thursday and didn’t stop through Sunday. My friend showed up at my door on Sunday with his snowboard and said “Let’s Go!”. Where?? Mt. Bohemia re-opened for one day with a fresh 6 FEET of snow! There was so much powder when we fell we had to snow-swim to a tree or rock to prop ourselves back up, it was so fluffy there was no way to prop yourself up with the snow. Absolutely unreal!
Like John Barnhart, I remember the May 8, 1971 snowfall. It was the last of what was then an annual record (which fell the following year). By early May, most of the snow was gone, except for areas in the woods that were protected from direct sunlight. My girlfriend at the time made a trip from Ohio with her family for the weekend. They were kind of kidding me with comments like, “Where’s all this snow you’ve been talking about?” Shortly after, wet and heavy snow began to fall. I told them it was very dangerous to mock Heikki Lunta, even in May.