Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
COLD, BLUSTERY winds rip through downtown Ironwood on Monday afternoon. Temperatures dropped to single digits, with snow falling all day. A lake-effect snow warning remains until noon today, with a total of 12 to 18 inches possible for Iron and Gogebic counties.
IRONWOOD - A winter advisory warning for lake-effect snow that could total from 12 to 18 inches remained in effect for the Gogebic Range today through noon.
Wakefield and Bessemer schools closed early Monday and many evening meetings were postponed because of heavy snowfall that grew worse throughout the day.
Ironwood schools were off Monday for deer hunting, but classes were scheduled to resume today, weather permitting.
The lake-effect snow followed around 50 inches that fell last week across the Gogebic Range. The National Weather Service reported a season total of 44.9 inches in Ironwood as of 7 a.m. Monday morning.
As much as 18 inches was possible through today in some locations, such as in the higher terrain from Wakefield and Ironwood to White Pine and Rockland, according to the National Weather Service.
With temperatures dipping into the single digits, the snow wasn't as heavy as last week's sticky stuff, but the wind quickly blew the lighter snow into drifts.
Visibility was reduced to a quarter mile by Monday afternoon and "very hazardous" travel was included in the warning.
Gogebic County police officers had reports of six or more vehicles in the ditch between about 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Monday, saying that conditions were "highly dangerous."
Slippery road conditions continued through the evening under new fallen snow.
Lake Superior waves from 8 to 10 feet were possible.
As if the snow wasn't bad enough, northwest winds gusting to 35 mph whipped up white-out conditions.
Snow is forecast daily through Saturday, in smaller amounts, but temperatures in the 30s are predicted for the weekend.
Hurley K-12 students were dismissed around the regular time Monday, but the school board meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. was postponed to Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. After-school activities were also called off.
Area residents are reminded overnight parking bans are in effect to facilitate snowplowing and vehicles will be towed away, if necessary. Three people were cited early Monday in Ironwood, where snow-related complaints are piling up like cordwood at the public safety department.
Winter officially begins on Dec. 21.
Normal seasonal snowfall through Nov. 18 is 10 inches, according to the weather service.
