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Lake Effects: An unusual bank of storms this week spawned Minnesota’s first-ever December tornadoes to the south of us and generated gale-force gusts on Lake Superior, broke high-temperature records for Dec. 15 in Duluth (49° F) and Ashland, Wis. (55° F) among others and sent thunder storms with rains turned to snow (though in the Duluth Heights, the rain and the heavy fog took out most of the snow we had). In Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the strong winds caused power outages, according to Christian D’Avino of CTV News. “Winds reaching upwards of 90 km/h gave Sault area hydro workers and shippers out on Lake Superior a tough day,” Christian reported. The weather forecast caused many freighters to hold up in safe harbors for Wednesday evening and winds continued into Thursday. Waves likely topped more than 25 feet. At Stannard Rock Lighthouse 42 miles north of Marquette, a gust of 77 mph – a hurricane-force speed – was recorded around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service Marquette. Jeff Rennicke, co-director of the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, found beauty in the bluster. He recorded images of the storm at Little Sand Bay, Wis., along the Lake and among the trees and posted it on his blog under “Dance of the Birch Trees.” It’s brings the sights and sounds of the storm … and reinforces why Lake Superior can be so compelling.
New in the New Year: The National Park Service announced this week that starting March 1, 2022, it will begin to charge entry fees for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and will increase current camping and lighthouse tour fees as of Jan. 1, 2022. “The new fee will provide much-needed funding for park improvements,” National Lakeshore Superintendent David Horne said in the announcement. “We were very thankful for the support we received during the public comment period.” According to the press release, “While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support ongoing maintenance of park facilities and new projects that directly enhance the visitor experience including maintaining and improving trails, campground facilities, visitor centers, monitoring park resources, and developing the area for future public use, as well as funding seasonal work positions. … The park maintains 63 front-country campsites, 14 backcountry camping areas, more than a dozen historic structures,
Continue to read this article in Lake Superior Magazine.
