Photo courtesy of Visit Keweenanw

KEWEENAW It’s official (sort of): Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula shines brighter than anywhere east of the Mississippi during the summer months.

This cheerful distinction was brought to light by Michigan Technological University professor Steven Voelker, who observed that the Keweenaw consistently tops the charts for low cloud cover during the summer season. His insight is backed by data from a peer-reviewed cloud cover study published in PLOS Biology in 2016 – a paper that has been cited over 400 times.

The data, originally hosted on https://www.earthenv.org/cloud, includes geospatial datasets of monthly average cloudiness around the globe. And yes, the Keweenaw – especially near Lac La Belle – shows up as one of the sunniest spots in the entire Eastern United States in the summer.

Forget Florida, or the East Coast – why is the Keweenaw so sunny? It comes down to a fascinating interaction between the land and the largest body of the Great Lakes.

* Storm-Stopping Lake Superior: Early summer storms often fizzle out as they pass over the cold depths of Lake Superior. Its cold surface suppresses storm development – and the Keweenaw, jutting into the lake, gets the most benefit.

* Cool Breezes = Fewer Clouds: When the land heats up and Mother Superior stays cold, cool lake breezes rush inland from both shores of the Keweenaw. These breezes warm up as they move, creating dry, stable air that’s less likely to form clouds. This is unlike other areas of the UP further inland.

* Further North than You! The Keweenaw’s latitude is further north than most places in the US, so during the summer when the northern hemisphere points more toward it, we get more hours of sun. (Like on the longest day of the year, the Juhannus Summer Solstice Celebration.)

These “summer lake effects” peak in June and can continue through much of July and August. This gives the Keweenaw a strong summer streak of clear, sunny skies. But, when Lake Superior finally warms up in September, the script flips and the region braces for the gales of November.

So, next time someone questions your sun-drenched Keweenaw adventure, point them to the data – or better yet, bring them here and let the sunshine prove it to you.