Maps of Keweenaw & Upper (Northern) Peninsula, Michigan

Here are some linen postcards showing the location of Michigan's Upper Northern Peninsula and the Keweenaw Peninsula at its northern tip (the area of record snowfalls described in the previous post). Maps of localized areas such as these are an interesting and educational subcategory within the maps category and are less common than maps showing entire states.

Record Snowfall--Keweenaw County

The Keweenaw Peninsula, the most northern part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, averages more snowfall than anywhere in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The large snowfalls in this area are attributed to a "lake effect" of storms crossing Lake Superior.

These postcards show the sign recording what was once their record snowfall: 294.5 inches in 1964-1965. This record has since been surpassed a number of times. The current record of 390.4 inches was set in 1978-1979. Average snowfall is 241.9 inches. The 2007-2008 snowfall through March 26 was 258.2 inches with 34 inches on the ground.