For the week 8/23 - 8/29 2026 ----- EARLY MORNING TEMPERATURES at Data collection: Aurora: 54, 46, 51, 64, 59, 51, 55 & Kingsford : 53, 46, 51, 63, 59, 49, 58,  -----Highs this week still in the high 70's& low 80's------ WATER CONTENT IN THE GAUGE: AURORA - T, 0, 0, .05, .03, 0, 0 Total= ..08" KINGSFORD - T, 0, 0, .04, .04, 0, 0 Total= .08 ----- SNOWFALL- Aurora and Kingsford : nothing no snow ----- MENOMINEE RIVER: Water levels all week at a low summer water height and river flow in the mid to low 800's and one low of 783 Cubic Feet per Second at data collection. Water height has been low over the summer so far -----US DROUGHT MONITOR: Both Florence and Dickinson Counties are in the severe stage. Grass has make a slight greening of grass but not by much as I report on here Saturday morning that .70 of rain last week helped some. We did get a sprinkling this a.m. but quit within a minute or two with the hope of receiving more today----- WILDFIRE RISK: even with the severe drought we are experiencing, the risk is at Medium for Florence and Dickinson counties and currently there is rain covering the west and central portion of Wisconsin and UP border moving east and with this hopeful rain today, we see both the drought and wildfire risk drop a peg or two.----- AIR QUALITY: This week excellent no smoke ------TOURISM: Still strong but see retired seniors towing or driving campers from both the east and west directions. Boat towing same as last week, meh, low. BUSINESS: Local and regional traffic for construction has been good. Lots of heavy equipment moving through but loggers this week, low. farm machinery picked up a little. Local contractors, about the same as last week, steady. -----WILDLIFE: Deer are still running around. Velvet on the bucks antlers, all deer I have seen are honey blonde both male and female, no swamp deer, geese have been flying back and forth up and down the river, some headed south. On Monday evening the 24th, NightHawks, hundreds of them flying overhead and under them, seagulls also making their way south. Squirrels and rabbits active and chipmunks as well. PLANTS: Wednesday morning, I noticed tree tops of some trees changing color. Red, orange and yellow are very noticeable. My red Maple, shedding like crazy and is 1/2 red. My sugar maple is still green. One of my oaks is already dropping dried up brown leaves. And my sumac are starting to have patches of red and gold. ----- That's all I have for this week. Enjoy your weekend!