Paula Porter/For the Gazette Snow, which totaled more than a foot over the weekend, made traveling challenging. High winds made visibility difficult as seen in this photo taken in Calumet Sunday.

HOUGHTON – The severe cold weather that began Sunday evening shows little chance of ending soon, according to Meteorologist Daniel Jablonski with National Weather Service Marquette OFF Negaunee.

Jablonski said at this time, however, he is not willing to apply the term Polar Vortex to the current weather system.

“I think we’re just leaning into a cold snap,” he said.

According to the Climate Prediction Center, below normal temperatures are expected through the end of January and into the beginning of February, he said.

“At least through the end of the month, we’ve got about a 50-60% chance for below normal temperatures in Upper Upper Michigan, from Jan. 26th through Feb.1 and then progressing further” Jablonski said, ”

Looking ahead toward Feb. 13, the outlook predicts a 30-40% continued chance of below normal temperatures.

“From deterministic data, there are brief pockets of warm-ups, but they probably won’t last very long,” said Jablonski, “so the overall pattern is favorable for colder.”

As far as the possibility of surpassing the 20245-25 snowfall total of 315.25 inches, which was the fourth snowiest winter on record, Jablonski said this winter is above normal in Negaunee Township, at 145.5 inches, which is 51 inches above normal. That was as of midnight of Jan 19, he said.

The Copper Country is bit ahead of Negaunee Township. As of Monday morning, Visit Keweenaw, reported the current season snowfall as 153.25 inches.

“With this colder setup, as long as Lake Superior continues to stay more open, which is thanks to those warmer temperatures later in the (fall) season,” Jablonski said, “we’ll continue getting lake affect snow continuing further into the season.”

According to current data from the Great Lakes Regional Node, the surface temperature of Lake Superior is between 32 and 35 degrees (F), with about 7% ice coverage, which Jablonski said is shore ice. He said he does not think Lake Superior will completely freeze over this winter.

“But I think we will definitely see more than we have in past couple of years,” Jablonski said, “which were pretty low.”