The Temperature Difference Near Lake Superior Is Absolutely Wild

As everyone who lives near Lake Superior knows, the temperature difference between the lake and over the hill can be quite dramatic. This is the time of the year when you feel it the most. It can be tropical in Proctor and freezing on Park Point.

Lake Superior's water temperature is still quite cold and remains that way well into the summer. That water supercools anywhere near the lake, and unless you have a strong west or southwest wind, that cool air creates its own frigid climate.

It was the hottest day of the year when we left our cabin near Cotton, Minnesota. It was 86 degrees, and we were all in shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops. By the time we got home to Superior, Wisconsin, it was 54 degrees at our house. It was a 32-degree temperature difference, and we arrived home, which is generally the hottest part of the day: mid-afternoon.

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We had a feeling the temperature drop would be significant, so I asked my wife to video my thermometer on my dashboard as we watched the temperature plummet from 80 degrees to 55 degrees during the video.

I had to laugh when we drove by the new Splash Pad in Superior, because here it was 55 degrees and it was packed with people trying it out. That HAD to be cold!