Opening weekend of the 2018 gun deer season is quickly approaching and the forecast is looking like it will be on the cool side. A recent push of cold air across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region has led to snow falling across parts of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For locations north of Green Bay a good snow pack has developed over the last several days thanks to the cool temperatures moving across Lake Superior creating lake effect snow.
Average high temperatures range from the lower 40s at the beginning of the hunt and cool into the upper 30s as the season comes to an end on November 25th. The 2017 gun deer season featured a wide range of temperatures from the 20s to the 50s. This season the forecast suggests temperatures will be much more consistent with highs generally a few degrees below average in the upper 20s to mid 30s.
Here’s a list of the current snow depth across northern WI and the U.P.
- Crivitz: 2″
- Rhinelander: 3″
- Florence: 3″
- Minocqua: 4″
- Antigo: 2″
- Marquette, MI: 8″
- Ironwood, MI: 14″
The forecast for the rest of this week will be fairly quiet as hunters travel north to their destinations. Temperatures will make a run for the lower 40s by Thursday and Friday before cooling into the low and middle 30s for the upcoming weekend. A few light snow showers are possible across far northern Wisconsin Friday night into early Saturday before another chance for snow moves in Monday night into Tuesday.
Sunrise on opening day is at 6:51 AM with a sunset time at 4:22 PM.
