Ironwood Trail Report – 01/14
IRONWOOD / WESTERN U.P. UPDATE via Gogebic Range Trail Authority – ORV & Snowmobile Club – 01/14 The snow forecasted to drill us tonight and tomorrow appears to be going south with 3-6″ possible here now. Grooming schedule remains very conservative (the more we groom, the more we alter the snow making it less prone to holding a pack) but we did groom 160 Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. With fresh snow we will likely groom all Friday night. Live trail report coming soon. Pictured is Bald Mountain South vista on snowmobile trail 160. <> IRONWOOD / WESTERN U.P. UPDATE via Gogebic Range Trail Authority – ORV & Snowmobile Club – Updates on current… Posted by Michigan Snowmobile Trail Report on Thursday, January 14, 2021 <> Report via Gogebic Range Trail Authority Website <> Report via Gogebic Range Trail Authority on Facebook <> WEATHER UPDATE via Western UP Trail Reports >> Heavy snow and strong winds expected to spread across Upper Michigan Sunday night and Monday. Hazardous to dangerous driving conditions and power outages will be possible. Those with travel plans Sunday night and Monday should be prepared to cancel or adjust those plans! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> Alright Michigan.. Let's dive right back into it. We have yet another system coming our way for Sunday into Monday which will bring SEVERAL different impacts to portions of the state... #miweather #keweenaw #westernupAlright Michigan.. Let's dive right back into it. We have yet another system coming our way for Sunday into Monday which will bring SEVERAL different impacts to portions of the state. Can't wait. ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via North Country Snowmobile Club UP >> Merry Christmas sledheads! Good news, bad news on our system. Wyatt and Jay put on their capes yesterday and opened Trail #12 from Potato Farm Rd. to Greenland!! The trail was filled and groomed. The warm temps have not allowed the freezing necessary so we still have early season conditions, ride with caution. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will cause slippery conditions across Upper Michigan this morning, ending from west to east through the afternoon. Isolated power outages will be possible in parts of western Upper Michigan. Attention then turns to additional rounds of winter precipitation both Saturday night/Sunday and Sunday night/Monday. Models continue to trend toward accumulating snow from Sunday night into Monday. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaA mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will cause slippery conditions across Upper Michigan this morning, ending from west to east through the afternoon. Isolated power outages will be possible in parts of western Upper Michigan. Attention then turns to additional rounds of winter precipitation both Saturday night/Sunday and Sunday night/Monday. Models continue to trend toward accumulating snow from Sunday night into Monday. LAKE GOGEBIC AREA UPDATE via Bergland Outfitters Bait Shop & Motel >> Be careful out there folks . Looks like we had a rain and ice storm overnight hearing of a lot of black ice on the roads and as you can see my parking lot is on ice rink please be very careful... #lakegogebic #westernup #snowphotosBe careful out there folks . Looks like we had a rain and ice storm overnight hearing of a lot of black ice on the roads and as you can see my parking lot is on ice rink please be very careful WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> A mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain may result in slippery roadways and isolated power outages tonight into Friday morning. Those with travel plans should leave extra time for travel! #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea LAKE GOGEBIC AREA UPDATE via Gogebic Area Grooming >> Bergland Area Groomer's report for your Christmas Day.. (evening) 12-25-25.. LAKE GOGEBIC AREA UPDATE via Gogebic Area Grooming >> Merry Christmas from Groomer 7 out of Marenisco!!! #lakegogebic #westernup #snowphotos SIDNAW - WESTERN U.P. UPDATE via Sno Valley Riders Snowmobile Club >> 🎄 Merry Christmas from Sno Valley Riders! ❄️ WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Expect a wintery mix to develop across the U.P. tonight and continue into Friday morning, ending west to east through the day. Mainly snow is expected for the far north and east with mainly freezing rain near the MI/WI stateline. Those with travel plans should leave extra time for travel as roads could be slippery. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect tonight into Friday for the entire U.P. Can we expect any significant lake effect between now and New Year's? ONTONAGON AREA UPDATE via Hamilton's North Coast Adventures >> Merry Christmas from us to you. This content isn't available right now WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> On top of our second call ice map, here is our second call snowfall map for December 26th, 2025. It's a messy system with multiple precipitation types, so be sure to click on our page to go see our ice forecast.... #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyOn top of our second call ice map, here is our second call snowfall map for December 26th, 2025. It's a messy system with multiple precipitation types, so be sure to click on our page to go see our ice forecast. The key does not match the colors on the map what is orange? WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Overall travel conditions should be smooth through Christmas Day. A system tracking through the region brings a round of snow and possibly freezing rain Christmas night into Friday. Highest snowfall amounts are expected in the northern half of the U.P. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaOverall travel conditions should be smooth through Christmas Day. A system tracking through the region brings a round of snow and possibly freezing rain Christmas night into Friday. Highest snowfall amounts are expected in the northern half of the U.P. WEATHER UPDATE via Meteorologist Brad Sugden >> There will be some snow with Friday's system to the north! Nothing too crazy, but a few inches none-the-less. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaThere will be some snow with Friday's system to the north! Nothing too crazy, but a few inches none-the-less. It's beautiful here today and warm with a slight chill <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Let's start with JUST SUNDAY. This system begins as rain Sunday morning for lower Michigan, with a bit of mixed precipitation possible further north.. think near Mackinac areas.
Sunday afternoon, we will see an uptick in rainfall intensity and even see some thunderstorms across central and southern lower Michigan, with a severe weather risk sitting just off to our south during the afternoon. During this Sunday afternoon period, snow will also begin to ramp up in the Upper Peninsula while northern lower Michigan and the eastern UP will continue to see a mixed precipitation.
Sunday night is when things start to get wild. Temperatures across lower Michigan will drop from 40s and 50s down to the 20s in a matter of 2-4 hours. Keep in mind, it will be raining prior to this temperature drop, so a situation may unfold where wet surfaces will freeze over and become icy. This could be another scenario of what we call a flash freeze.
This concludes SUNDAY'S "part 1" forecast.
This system WILL CONTINUE into MONDAY as a lake effect snow AND wind event.
After midnight and into Monday morning, lake effect snow will ramp up across much of the state, with wind gusts also increasing to 40-50+mph across ALL of Michigan. Major snow accumulations are possible for lake effect belts of western and northern lower Michigan, and much of the UP during Monday. Given strong winds, lake effect bands and snow squalls will likely drift into eastern Michigan which may lightly accumulate in localized areas. A winter storm watch is already in effect for nearly ALL of the UP in anticipation of this system.
In summary, this is a two part system spanning 48+ hours with A LOT going on. We will host a live briefing tonight at 7pm to talk it through.
Expect a full forecast package to be released throughout tomorrow which will likely include first call graphics for:
-Snowfall totals
-Rainfall amounts
-Thunderstorm/Severe weather outlook
-Wind map
-Icing amounts
And infographics on:
-Potential flash freeze
-Snow squalls
-Power outage possibilities
-Timing map
-Traffic map
Stay tuned!
-- Trusted Partner of the Day --
McKay Tree Services | Got downed trees across SE Michigan? Call McKay today at 248-308-7308
We have 35 degrees with drizzle in White Pine as I type this report. The forecast suggests no temps below 32 until Sunday evening, accompanied by some much needed snow.
Due to the forecast, as of now, we will be discontinuing grooming operations until Sunday evening.
Stay tuned.......
Ride da 906!! #ontonagon #westernup #snowphotosMerry Christmas sledheads! Good news, bad news on our system. Wyatt and Jay put on their capes yesterday and opened Trail #12 from Potato Farm Rd. to Greenland!! The trail was filled and groomed. The warm temps have not allowed the freezing necessary so we still have early season conditions, ride with caution.
We have 35 degrees with drizzle in White Pine as I type this report. The forecast suggests no temps below 32 until Sunday evening, accompanied by some much needed snow.
Due to the forecast, as of now, we will be discontinuing grooming operations until Sunday evening.
Stay tuned.......
Ride da 906!!
Mixed bag of good and bad tonight. 102 was groomed and is improving with each pass. 13n groomed from M28 to 101 and is in good condition. 1n also was groomed and in good condition.
8w was groomed but we had a machine break through a new section of Ice.
8w is 💯 passable by sled but not by a groomer in certain sections. We'll continue to cover 8w where we can until it freezes in tighter. Lastly but not least, as our guy's were getting in tonight it was freezing rain out. (That's not a bad thing) However it makes everything slippery. 🤞it switches over to snow and we get a couple inches to pack in. That's all we got for now. Gogebic Area Grooming ❄️❄️❄️ #lakegogebic #westernup #snowphotos
Wishing you a joyful holiday filled with family, friends, and plenty of snow.
Thank you for supporting our club, our trails, and our community — we’re grateful for every one of you.
Stay warm, stay safe, and as always…
Ride Right, Lead Right — and remember, the groomer always has the right of way! #westernup🎄 Merry Christmas from Sno Valley Riders! ❄️
Wishing you a joyful holiday filled with family, friends, and plenty of snow.
Thank you for supporting our club, our trails, and our community — we’re grateful for every one of you.
Stay warm, stay safe, and as always…
Ride Right, Lead Right — and remember, the groomer always has the right of way!
🎅❄️✨
#MerryChristmas #SnoValleyRiders #UPNorth #ThinkSnow #SnowmobileLife #HappyHolidays
For more information, visit the full briefing packet here :https://www.weather.gov/media/mqt/DssPacket.pdf #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsarea
One of the best gifts we give is grooming trails, because every northwoods business wins with happy sledders entering their business. A week ago we had a surprise 12"+ lake effect event hit and frigid temps allowed us to get out during the day.
We dont normally ever do this, but light traffic and the rig was due back to the groomer barn for maintenance.
We spend a ton of time volunteering in the Ottawa and you should too! #ontonagon #westernup #snowphotos
Discussion
The north side of the low will have much colder air, and the deformation zone for this event will be set up across the eastern UP and Lake Superior region. Totals greater than 1" of snow (some melting) will be confined north of M-55 to the Mackinac Bridge, while totals closer to the 3"+ mark are confined from St. Ignace up to Paradise and Sault Ste. Marie. Additionally, the Keweenaw Peninsula also may see the highest snowfall totals too.
You may have noticed that we added a new color for this event only. Because there is a gradual change from rain to snow... freezing rain, and even sleet is expected with this event. Sleet is like the shared sibling between snow and freezing rain. Sleet is snow that melted to rain really high up immediately after falling from the clouds, but spent enough time in the cold sector after melting to reform into tiny pellets. Freezing rain, however, forms when there isn't enough time for the rain to reform back into those tiny ice pellets due to that warm sector close to the ground, but because the ground itself IS a cold sector, it freezes on contact. Yes, sleet is slippery, but due to its properties, it's not quite as impactful. Still, because of the sleet's size, it accumulates in tenths of an inch similar to snow instead of hundredths like freezing rain. As a result, much of the white trace-1" corridor will likely fall as <1" of both snow and sleet. Again, not a huge amount, but worth mentioning. Timing for this snowfall will be similar to that of the ice. Anytime from 6 am EST Friday through the end of the day Friday is the expected duration.
Winter weather advisories are now in effect for the eastern UP regarding this snowfall. We will have traffic impact maps and timing maps coming later this afternoon after our Christmas morning activities. See you all back here soon!
-- Trusted Partner of the Day --
Kuiper Tree Care | Call 616-828-8225 for your top option regarding all your west Michigan tree care needs!
Generator Magic Inc
Michigan Based, Nationwide Shipping