Editing Upper Peninsula of Michigan (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Pictured Rocks Lakeshore Michigan3.JPG|thumb|right|[[Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore]] ]]
[[File:Gfp-michigan-lake-superior-bay.jpg|thumb|right|[[Lake Superior]]]]
Including extensive parts of the Great Lakes, the Upper Peninsula contains about {{convert|36,139|sqmi}} of total area. Of that, about {{convert|16378|sqmi}} is its land area,<ref name="Census Area"/> about 29% of the state.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} It is bounded on the north by [[Lake Superior]], on the east by [[St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario)|St. Marys River]], on the south by the [[Niagara Escarpment]], [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Huron]], and on the west by [[Wisconsin]] and (counting the water border on Lake Superior) by [[Minnesota]]. It has about {{convert|1,700|mi|km}} of continuous shoreline with the [[Great Lakes]]. There are about 4,300&nbsp;inland lakes, the largest of which is [[Lake Gogebic]], and {{convert|12,000|mi|km}} of streams.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uptravel.com/groups-24/ |title=When you enter Michigan's Upper Peninsula...You enter a world of the finest attractions and unique experiences unmatched anywhere in the Midwest. |work=Michigan's Upper Peninsula |access-date=July 21, 2013 |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729123401/http://www.uptravel.com/groups-24/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its lowest elevation is along the shoreline of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, averaging {{convert|577|ft|m}} above sea level.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Physical features of Great Lakes |url=http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/phy_feature.html |publisher=Michigan State University Department of Geography, Environment, & Spatial Sciences |access-date=May 1, 2020 |archive-date=May 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506163013/http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/phy_feature.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Its highest elevation is [[Mount Arvon]], at {{convert|1,979|ft|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Arvon |url=https://www.michigan.org/property/mount-arvon |date=December 29, 2016 |website=Pure Michigan |publisher=Michigan Economic Development Corporation |language=en |access-date=May 1, 2020 |archive-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519205921/https://www.michigan.org/property/mount-arvon |url-status=live }}</ref>

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is bounded on land by Wisconsin to the southwest and west; and in territorial waters by Minnesota to the west, [[Ontario]] to the west, north and east, and the [[Door Peninsula]] of Wisconsin extends into [[Lake Michigan]] east of the western Upper Peninsula.

Five Michigan Upper Peninsula counties include nearby major islands: [[Mackinac Island]], [[Round Island (Michigan)|Round Island]] and [[Bois Blanc Island (Michigan)|Bois Blanc Island]] in Lake Huron are in [[Mackinac County, Michigan|Mackinac County]]; [[Sugar Island (Michigan)|Sugar Island]] and [[Neebish Island]] in the [[St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario)|St. Marys River]], and [[Drummond Island]] in Lake Huron are in [[Chippewa County, Michigan|Chippewa County]]; [[Grand Island (Michigan)|Grand Island]] is in [[Alger County, Michigan|Alger County]]; [[Summer Island]] is [[Delta County, Michigan|Delta County]]; and [[Isle Royale]] is part of [[Keweenaw County, Michigan|Keweenaw County]].The peninsula is divided between the flat, swampy areas in the east, part of the [[Great Lakes region#Geography|Great Lakes Plain]], and the steeper, more rugged western half, called the [[Superior Upland]], part of the [[Canadian Shield]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |title=Michigan Geography |publisher=Netstate |date=September 24, 2009 |access-date=July 18, 2010 |archive-date=March 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321154823/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The rock in the western portion is the result of volcanic eruptions and is estimated to be at least 3.5 billion years old (much older than the eastern portion) and contains the region's ore resources. [[Banded iron formation|Banded-iron formations]] were deposited 2&nbsp;billion years ago; this is the [[Animikie Group|Marquette Range Supergroup]]. A considerable amount of [[bedrock]] is visible. Mount Arvon is within the [[Huron Mountains]], located in Marquette and Baraga counties. The [[Porcupine Mountains]] are located in the extreme northwest of the peninsula. All of the higher areas are the remnants of ancient peaks, worn down over millions of years by erosion and glaciers.<ref name="earthscape">[http://www.earthscape.org/t2/scr01/scr01a.html]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref>

The [[Keweenaw Peninsula]] is the northernmost part of the peninsula (not counting Isle Royale, which is politically part of the UP). It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, part of a larger region of the peninsula called the [[Copper Country]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Murdoch |first=Angus |title=Boom Copper: The Story of the First U.S. Mining Boom |year=1964 |publisher=The Book Concern }}</ref> [[Copper Island]] is its northernmost section. About one-third of the peninsula is government-owned recreational forest land today, including the [[Ottawa National Forest]] and [[Hiawatha National Forest]]. Although heavily logged in the 19th century, the majority of the land was forested with mature trees by the 1970s.<ref name="hunt" />

There was a boundary dispute over the border with Wisconsin. The northwesternmost portion of the border follows a line from [[Lac Vieux Desert]] to the headwaters of the [[Montreal River (Wisconsin–Michigan)|Montreal River]]. An 1847 survey established the east branch of the Montreal River as the border. However, the 1908 revision of the [[Constitution of Michigan]] specified that the west branch of the Montreal River was the proper border, which would have placed an additional 360 square miles of land on the Michigan side of the border.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kellogg |first=Louise P. |date=1917 |title=The Michigan–Wisconsin Boundary Dispute |url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WIReader/WER0126.html |access-date=July 17, 2019 |website=Wisconsin Magazine of History |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030113123/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WIReader/WER0126.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A 1926 Supreme Court decision awarded this tract of land to Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Evolution of Michigan's Legal Boundaries |url=https://lib.msu.edu/branches/map/Miboundaries/ |access-date=July 17, 2019 |publisher=Michigan State University Libraries |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717003829/https://lib.msu.edu/branches/map/Miboundaries/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Further|Protected areas of Michigan}}

===Wildlife===
The Upper Peninsula contains a large variety of wildlife. Some of the mammals found in the UP include [[shrew]]s, [[mole (animal)|moles]], mice, [[white-tailed deer]], [[moose]], [[American black bear|black bear]]s, [[cougar]], [[gray fox|gray]] and [[red fox]]es, [[wolf|wolves]], [[North American river otter|river otters]], [[martens]], [[Fisher (animal)|fisher]]s, [[muskrat]]s, [[bobcat]]s, [[coyote]]s, [[snowshoe hare]]s, [[Eastern cottontail|cotton-tail rabbit]]s, [[porcupine]]s, [[chipmunk]]s, squirrels, [[raccoon]]s, [[opossum]] and bats. There is a large variety of birds, including hawks, osprey, owls, gulls, hummingbirds, chickadees, [[American robin|robins]] (the state bird), woodpeckers, warblers, and bald eagles. In terms of reptiles and [[amphibians]], the UP has common [[garter snake]]s, [[Storeria|red bellied snake]]s, [[pine snake]]s, [[northern water snake]]s, [[Storeria|brown snake]]s, [[Common garter snake|eastern garter snakes]], [[Pantherophis gloydi|eastern fox snake]]s, [[Thamnophis saurita saurita|eastern ribbon back snake]]s, [[Opheodrys|green snakes]], [[northern ringneck snake]]s, [[Milk snake|eastern milk snake]]s (Mackinac and Marquette counties) and [[Heterodon platirhinos|eastern hognose snake]]s (Menominee County only), plus [[snapping turtle]]s, [[wood turtle]]s, and [[painted turtle]]s (the state reptile), [[Rana clamitans|green frog]]s, [[American bullfrog|bullfrog]]s, [[northern leopard frog]]s, and [[salamander]]s. Lakes and rivers contain many fish such as [[walleye]], [[Muskellunge|muskie]], [[northern pike]], [[trout]], [[salmon]], [[bullhead catfish]], and bass. Invasive species like the alewife and sea lamprey can be found in the Great Lakes. The UP also contains many shellfish, such as [[clam]]s, aquatic snails, and [[crayfish]]. The [[American Bird Conservancy]] and the [[National Audubon Society]] have designated several locations as internationally [[Important Bird Area]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/state/michigan |title=Michigan Important Bird Areas |date=September 12, 2016 |publisher=[[National Audubon Society]] |access-date=March 6, 2020 |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520073613/https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/state/michigan |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Bald Eagle juvenile, Keweenaw.jpg|thumb|upright|Juvenile [[bald eagle]] in the Keweenaw Peninsula]]

After being nearly [[Local extinction|extirpated]] from the [[conterminous United States]], [[Gray wolf|gray wolves]] survived in the remote northeastern corner of Minnesota and Ontario. The [[Repopulation of wolves in Midwestern United States|repopulation of wolves in this region]] has occurred naturally as they have expanded their territory after they were protected under the federal [[Endangered Species Act of 1973|Endangered Species Act]] in 1978.<ref name="WUWM 2020-10-29">{{Cite news |date=October 29, 2020 |title=Gray Wolves To Be Removed From Endangered Species List |url=https://www.wuwm.com/environment/2020-10-29/gray-wolves-to-be-removed-from-endangered-species-list |first=Nathan |last=Rott |access-date=April 21, 2021 |publisher=WUWM |location=Milwaukee |language=en |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421010300/https://www.wuwm.com/environment/2020-10-29/gray-wolves-to-be-removed-from-endangered-species-list |url-status=live }}</ref> Michigan Department of Natural Resources's principal goals set in 2008 included maintaining a viable wolf population, facilitating wolf-related benefits, minimizing wolf-related conflicts and conducting "science-based and socially acceptable management of wolves".<ref>{{Cite news |last=McWhirter |first=Sheri |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Wolves are endangered again, but pressure for a Michigan hunt remains |url=https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/02/wolves-are-endangered-again-but-pressure-for-a-michigan-hunt-remains.html |access-date=February 25, 2022 |work=MLive |language=en }}</ref> Michigan removed wolves from the state's list of threatened and endangered species in 2009 having reached the recovery goal of 200 for five consecutive years in 2004.{{r|AP 2020-07-27}} In 2012, FWS issued a rule that classified and delisted a sub-species called the Western Great Lakes wolves under the federal Endangered Species Act. Michigan had a legal wolf hunt in 2013.<ref name="AP 2020-07-27">{{Cite news |last=Flesher |first=John |date=July 27, 2020 |title=Michigan wolf population at nearly 700 but leveling off |url=https://apnews.com/article/wildlife-michigan-wolves-traverse-city-6cfc951af49969a23370c782adfce406 |access-date=April 26, 2021 |work=AP News |archive-date=August 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807081445/https://apnews.com/article/wolves-mi-state-wire-wildlife-michigan-traverse-city-6cfc951af49969a23370c782adfce406 |url-status=live }}</ref> Wolves were returned to the list of federally threatened species in December 2014 as a result of a court ruling. The Department of Natural Resources found that an equilibrium has been achieved between the available habitat and the number of this predators the region can support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McWhirter |first=Sheri |date=June 13, 2024 |title=Michigan gray wolf population at 14-year high, DNR estimates |url=https://mlive.com/public-interest/2024/06/michigan-gray-wolf-population-at-14-year-high-dnr-estimates.html |access-date=June 18, 2024 |website=MLive |language=en }}</ref> The department supports delisting as wolves have met and exceeded the biological recovery goals that would necessitate protection.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McNally |first=Bob |date=August 7, 2021 |title=Great Lakes States Are Divided on Wolf Hunting Plans |url=https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/gray-wolf-hunting-great-lakes-states/ |access-date=December 23, 2021 |magazine=Outdoor Life |language=en-US |archive-date=December 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223031753/https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/gray-wolf-hunting-great-lakes-states/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

There is significant discussion and studies over the presence of [[eastern cougar]]s in the UP.<ref name="Butz">{{cite book |last1=Butz |first1=Bob |first2=Jay W (Foreword) |last2=Tischendof |name-list-style=amp |year=2005 |publisher=Lyons Press |isbn=978-1-59228-446-7 |location=Guilford, CT |title=Beast of Never, Cat of God: The Search for the Eastern Puma |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/beastofnevercato0000butz }}</ref> Historically, the last of the species, or subspecies, was extirpated near [[Newberry, Michigan|Newberry]] in 1906, although there have been sightings of the creatures over the years since.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite journal |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA87426651&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10813705&p=AONE&sw=w |title=The mountain lions of Michigan |journal=Endangered Species Update |date=March–April 2002 |first=Kirk |last=Johnson |location=Ann Arbor |publisher=School of Natural Resources and Environment, [[University of Michigan]] |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=27–31 |access-date=September 7, 2019 |archive-date=May 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519165922/https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA87426651&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10813705&p=AONE&sw=w |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bolgiano">{{cite book |title=The Eastern Cougar: Historic Accounts, Scientific Investigations, And New Evidence |first1=Chris |last1=Bolgiano |first2=Jerry |last2=Roberts |name-list-style=amp |date=August 10, 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G6P_LYhjOpYC&q=%22The+mountain+lions+of+Michigan%22&pg=PA67 |place=Mechanicsburg, PA |publisher=Stackpole Books |pages=67–78 |isbn=978-0-8117-3218-5 |access-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807081446/https://books.google.com/books?id=G6P_LYhjOpYC&q=%22The+mountain+lions+of+Michigan%22&pg=PA67#v=snippet&q=%22The%20mountain%20lions%20of%20Michigan%22&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> These reports increased in number over the first decade of the 21st century. The [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment]] (DNRE){{#tag:ref|The DNRE was split back into the [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]] (DNR) and the [[Michigan Department of Environmental Quality]] (DEQ) on January 4, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |last=Snyder |first=Richard D. |author-link=Rick Snyder |date=January 4, 2011 |url=http://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/EO-01-2011_342039_7.pdf |title=Executive Order No. 2011-1: Executive Reorganization Department of Natural Resources and Environment Creating the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Quality |location=Lansing |publisher=[[Governor of Michigan|Executive Office]] |access-date=October 15, 2017 |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616162544/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/EO-01-2011_342039_7.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} formed a four-person team to investigate sightings in the state. The biologists with the DNRE currently do not believe that there is a breeding population anywhere in the state, rather that the sighted animals are visitors to the state.<ref name=dailypress2010-03-18>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/518136.html?nav=5003 |title=On the Cougar Trail: Team Investigates Sightings, Tracks Throughout UP, State |date=March 18, 2010 |work=[[Daily Press (Michigan)|Daily Press]] |location=Escanaba, Michigan }}</ref> As late as January 2007, the DNRE's official position was that no cougars lived in Michigan.<ref name=donelly2007-01-27>{{cite news |last=Donnelly |first=Francis X. |date=January 27, 2007 |title=Roar of Michigan Cougar Debate Grows Louder |work=The Detroit News }}</ref> Several residents in the state disagree with both current and previous positions on the part of the DNRE.<ref name=donelly2007-01-27/><ref name=aupperlee2009-12-21/> Researchers at [[Central Michigan University]] and the [[Michigan Wildlife Conservancy]] in 2006 published the findings of a study using DNA analysis of fecal samples taken in the Upper and Lower peninsulas that showed the presence of cougars at the time.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2006)155[363:DACOCI]2.0.CO;2 |first1=Bradley J. |last1=Swanson |first2=Patrick J. |last2=Rusz |name-list-style=amp |jstor=4094651 |title=Detection and Classification of Cougars in Michigan Using Low Copy DNA Sources |journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume=155 |issue=2 |date=April 2006 |pages=363–372 |publisher=[[University of Notre Dame]] |s2cid=85823961 |issn=0003-0031}} {{subscription required }}</ref> These results were disputed in a second journal article in 2007 by other researchers from [[Eastern Michigan University]] and the [[U.S. Forest Service]].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2007)158[467:DAPOCE]2.0.CO;2 |last1=Kurta |first1=Allen |last2=Schwartz |first2=Michael K. |last3=Anderson |first3=Charles R. Jr. |name-list-style=amp |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1674/0003-0031%282007%29158%5B467%3ADAPOCE%5D2.0.CO%3B2 |title=Does a Population of Cougars Exist in Michigan? |journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume=158 |issue=2 |pages=467–71 |date=October 2007 |publisher=University of Notre Dame |s2cid=85902836 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |issn=0003-0031 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=August 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807081446/https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-158/issue-2/0003-0031(2007)158%5b467%3aDAPOCE%5d2.0.CO%3b2/Does-a-Population-of-Cougars-Exist-in-Michigan/10.1674/0003-0031(2007)158&#91;467:DAPOCE&#93;2.0.CO;2.short |url-status=live }}{{subscription required }}</ref> A citizen's group, the Michigan Citizens for Cougar Recognition (MCCR), independently tracked sightings and in 2009 listed Delta County as the location with the greatest number of reports in the state.<ref name=grpress2009-12-21>{{cite news |title=Top 10 Counties for Cougar Sightings |work=The Grand Rapids Press |date=December 21, 2009 |author=Michigan Citizens for Cougar Recognition |page=A4 }}</ref> The DNRE verified five sets of tracks and two trail camera photos in Delta, Chippewa, Marquette, and Menominee counties since 2008.<ref name=morningsun2010-06-21>{{cite news |url=http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2010/06/21/sports/every_season/doc4c1f99fe334ad162964173.txt |title=DNRE Confirms Cougar Sighting in Michigan |work=The Morning Sun |location=Mt. Pleasant, Michigan |date=June 21, 2010 |access-date=October 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302004737/http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2010/06/21/sports/every_season/doc4c1f99fe334ad162964173.txt |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> DNRE officials acknowledge that there are cougars in the UP, but not elsewhere in the state. Critics of the DNRE's position on the species, including the founder of the MCCR, say that the department is attempting to "avoid paying for a cougar management program".<ref name=aupperlee2009-12-21>{{cite news |title=Cougar Sightings Growing Common: DNR Says it Has No Proof Big Cats Are Lurking, But Many Folks Say Otherwise |work=The Grand Rapids Press |date=December 21, 2009 |first=Aaron |last=Aupperlee |page=A3 }}</ref> In March 2025 the DNR released a statement that two cougar cubs were verified to be living in an undisclosed area of Ontonagon County, the first time cougar cubs have been verified the Western Great Lakes in over 100 years. The presence of the cubs, estimated via photographic evidence to be around seven weeks old, is in contrast to previous sightings which are thought to be transient adult animals and not representative of resident or breeding populations.<ref>https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/about/newsroom/releases/2025/03/13/first-cougar-cubs-verified-in-michigan-in-more-than-a-century</ref>

There also many [[invasive species]] that are primarily brought in the [[ballast tank|ballast]] water of foreign ships, usually from the ocean bordering northeastern Asia. This water is dumped directly into the Great Lakes, depositing a variety of fresh and salt water fish and invertebrates, most notably the [[zebra mussel]], ''Dreissena polymorpha''. There are also many plant species that have been transported to the Great Lakes, including purple loosestrife, ''[[Lythrum salicaria]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12146_12214---,00.html |title=Invasive Species |publisher=[[Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment]] |year=2010 |access-date=October 27, 2010 }}</ref> and ''[[Phragmites australis]]'', both of which are considered to be a threat to native [[aquatic plant|hydrophyte]] wetland plants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12146_12214-180794--,00.html |title=Invasive Phragmites Control and Management |publisher=Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment |date=December 19, 2007 |access-date=November 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208091530/http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0%2C1607%2C7-153-10370_12146_12214-180794--%2C00.html |archive-date=December 8, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/PhragBook_Email_216473_7.pdf |title=A Guide to the Control and Management of Invasive Phragmites |publisher=Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment |access-date=November 5, 2010 |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203085840/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/PhragBook_Email_216473_7.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[emerald ash borer]] was first reported in the UP at [[Brimley State Park]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Storer |first=Andrew J. |title=The History of Emerald Ash Borer Discoveries in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from 2005 to 2007 |url=http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr-nrs-p-36papers/56storer-p-36.pdf |publisher=US Forest Service |access-date=November 25, 2011 |year=2008 |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020093942/http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr-nrs-p-36papers/56storer-p-36.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is considered to be a serious ecological threat to the habitat and economy.

===Climate===
[[File:Cabin on Blue Lake in UP.jpg|thumb|A cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a snowfall]]
The Upper Peninsula has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfb'' in the [[Köppen climate classification]] system). The Great Lakes have a great effect on the larger part of the peninsula. Winters tend to be long, cold, and snowy for most of the peninsula, and because of its northern latitude, the daylight hours are short—around 8 hours between sunrise and sunset in the winter. Lake Superior has the greatest effect on the area, especially the northern and western parts. [[Lake-effect snow]] causes many areas to get in excess of {{convert|100|-|250|in|m}} of snow per year—especially in the Keweenaw Peninsula and Gogebic County, and to a lesser extent Baraga, Marquette and Alger counties, making the western UP a prominent part of the [[Midwestern United States|midwestern]] [[snowbelt]].

Records of {{convert|390|in|m}} of snow or more have been set in many communities in this area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.x98ruhf.net/lake_effect.htm |title=Lake-Effect Precipitation in Michigan |first=Robert J. |last=Ruhf |access-date=October 27, 2010 |archive-date=March 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312054030/http://www.x98ruhf.net/lake_effect.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Keweenaw Peninsula averages more snowfall than any other location east of the [[Mississippi River]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.climatesource.com/us/fact_sheets/fact_snowfall_us.html |title=Mean Monthly and Annual Snowfall |publisher=Climate Source |access-date=May 7, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609005310/http://www.climatesource.com/us/fact_sheets/fact_snowfall_us.html |archive-date=June 9, 2008 }}</ref> Because of the howling storms across Lake Superior, which cause dramatic amounts of precipitation, it has been said that the lake-effect snow makes the Keweenaw Peninsula the snowiest place east of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]]. [[Herman, Michigan|Herman]] averages {{convert|236|in|m|2}} of snow every year.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/extremeweathergu00burt |url-access=registration |quote=record snowfall keweenaw peninsula. |last1=Burt |first1=Christopher C. |last2=Stroud |first2=Mark |name-list-style=amp |title=Extreme Weather: A Guide and Resource Book |location=New York |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/extremeweathergu00burt/page/80 80] |isbn=978-0-393-33015-1 }}</ref> Lake-effect snow can cause blinding [[Whiteout (weather)|whiteouts]] in just minutes, and some storms can last for days. [[Hancock, Michigan|Hancock]] is found frequently on lists of the snowiest cities in America.<ref>{{cite web |title=America's snowiest places |last=Erdman |first=Jonathan |url=http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9418014-americas-snowiest-places-weathercom-lists-them?lite |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129041434/http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9418014-americas-snowiest-places-weathercom-lists-them?lite |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |access-date=August 29, 2012 |publisher=NBC News |date=December 13, 2011 }}</ref>

The [[banana belt]] along the Wisconsin border has a more continental climate since most of its weather does not arrive from the lakes. Summers tend to be warmer and winter nights much colder. Coastal communities have temperatures tempered by the Great Lakes. In summer, it might be {{convert|10|F-change|C-change}} cooler at lakeside than it is inland, and the opposite effect is seen in winter. The area of the Upper Peninsula north of [[Green Bay (Lake Michigan)|Green Bay]] through Menominee and Escanaba (and extending west to Iron River) does not have the extreme weather and precipitation found to the north.<ref name=hunt/> The coldest temperature officially recorded in the Upper Peninsula was {{convert|-48|°F|°C}} in Humboldt in January 1915.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/sig_weath_events.html |title=Michigan's Extreme and Significant Weather Events |first=Andrew |last=Huizinga |date=n.d. |work=GEO 333 |publisher=Michigan State University |access-date=September 22, 2016 |archive-date=September 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904195600/http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/sig_weath_events.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Time zones===
Like the entire Lower Peninsula, most of the Upper Peninsula is within the [[Eastern Time Zone]]. However, the four counties bordering Wisconsin are in the [[Central Time Zone]]. In 1967, when the [[Uniform Time Act]] came into effect, the Upper Peninsula went under year-round Central Standard Time, with no [[daylight saving time]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899572,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113221701/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,899572,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 13, 2007 |title=State Constitutions: Referendum Row |access-date=July 25, 2007 |date=July 7, 1967 |magazine=Time }}</ref> In 1973, the majority of the peninsula switched to Eastern Standard Time;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statoids.com/tus.html |title=United States Time Zones |access-date=July 25, 2007 |last=Law |first=Gwillim |date=February 19, 2007 |work=Statoids |archive-date=December 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218095057/http://www.statoids.com/tus.html |url-status=live }}</ref> only the four western border counties of [[Gogebic County, Michigan|Gogebic]], [[Iron County, Michigan|Iron]], [[Dickinson County, Michigan|Dickinson]], and [[Menominee County, Michigan|Menominee]] continue to observe Central Standard Time. Daylight saving time is observed peninsula-wide.