Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for White Pine, MI

DISCUSSION
Issued at 355 AM EST Sun Dec 7 2025

Early morning satellite imagery and RAP mesoanalysis reveals broad troughing extending south from the Hudson Bay down into the central Plains states. An embedded shortwave is working across the Midwest this morning, producing an area of frontogenetically forced snow from Illinois into central Lower Michigan. Closer to home, system snow has kept south of the UP save for some light snow briefly reported at Menominee. Elsewhere, westerly lake effect snow is beginning to descend southeast this morning as the shortwave pulls east and the incoming ridge veers LES to the more traditional NW wind snowbelts. Despite the brief uptick in LES, not much is expected today given the incoming dry high pressure working to eat lake induced eqs to less than 5kft. Only an inch or less of snow is likely to be seen across the western UP through tonight. In the east, specifically Alger county eastward through N Schoolcraft and N Luce counties, CAM guidance supports slightly higher snowfall amounts given the longer fetch across Lake Superior and possible convergence banding in connection with Lake Nipigon. There, 1-3" is possible with locally higher amounts to 4-5" should a stronger band find itself in one location this afternoon. Otherwise, look for daytime highs in the teens and low 20s. Tonight, as the aforementioned sfc high pressure builds into the Great Lakes, light west to southwest winds, clearing skies, and efficient radiational cooling may allow the interior to fall to near zero or a few degrees below while the lakeshores remain in the single digits. This may be contingent on lake effect cloud cover lingering overhead.

Monday stays fairly quiet as sfc high pressure makes its exit to the eastern seaboard, however, the quiet period will be short lived as active and potentially impactful winter weather returns to Upper Michigan in the form of two clipper shortwaves. The first presses into western Lake Superior Monday night, inducing a SW fetch off of Lake Michigan supportive of a decent LES band given northern Lake Michigan water temp averaging ~6C, 850mb temps in the negative teens, and lake induced eqs 5-7 kft. This band sets up Monday night into Tuesday morning and may produce snowfall rates up to a half an inch per hour, which combined with SW winds off the lake reaching 25- 35 mph may make travel along US-2 hazardous during this timeframe.
The shortwave continues pressing east across the UP Tuesday, overspreading a light 1-3" across the area. Ensembles and NBM guidance suggests a 50-80% chance for amounts >3" by Tuesday evening in the eastern UP where the wombo-combo lake effect band and system snow work between Manistique and the Soo. Light lake effect snow trails behind this passing clipper for the northwest wind snowbelts Tuesday night.

The second clipper follows quickly behind the heels of the first departing system late Tuesday into Wednesday, though a sharper upper level wave will allow a deeper surface low pressure and stronger forcing for ascent. There is still uncertainty in the track of the surface low center and overall strength as the latest 00z ensembles general move the surface feature across central WI early Wednesday morning ranging from 979-991 mb. Given the current track, the heaviest snow axis remains planted across northern WI, however a 50 mi shift north over the next 24-48 hours will make a world of difference in terms of accumulating snow. Lake effect snow returns to the N to NW wind snowbelts on the backside of the departing clipper through the rest of Wednesday.

Continued weak clippers and lake effect snow chances remain in the outlook through the mid to late week given the persistent NW flow aloft and baroclinic zone remaining draped across the Midwest.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY/
Issued at 621 AM EST Sun Dec 7 2025

MVFR conditions persist at IWD and CMX as lake clouds and lake effect snow showers linger over the area. An improvement to VFR is expected this evening. Occasional drops down to MVFR are not out of the question at SAW today, but mainly VFR conditions are expected there throughout the forecast period. Otherwise, expect winds to remain light through the period.

MARINE
Issued at 355 AM EST Sun Dec 7 2025

Westerly winds 20-30 kts are beginning to veer NW this morning as a clipper to the south presses east and ridging builds overhead. These elevated NW gusts will continue through today across the eastern lake before letting up below 15 kts and backing southwest late into early Monday. Gusty SW winds then pick up ahead of the next clipper system Monday, reaching upwards of 30 kts. A few isolated gales to 35 kts are possible across the eastern lake overnight into Tuesday (30-50% chance). Winds quickly shift to the N-NW late Tuesday into Wednesday as as stronger clipper moves through central WI. Here, Gales to 35 kts are becoming more likely (40-70% chance, highest chance near the Keweenaw).

MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
Upper Michigan...
None.
Lake Superior...
None.
Lake Michigan...
None.