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With almost 20 inches of snow falling across parts of northern Michigan, many residents will be digging out for days. The snow began on the morning of Sunday, Feb. 5 and continued to pile up for the next 24 hours. The white stuff was also accompanied by wind gusts of more than 20 miles-per-hour in many locations, making driving and even shoveling difficult. The strongest winds in the local area were recorded at Whitefish Point, while the National Weather Service reported that Presque Isle experienced winds of 60 mph.
Schools and businesses across the northern lower peninsula and Upper Peninsula were closed for a few days to allow for cleanup. Young and old alike were able to take the day off as local colleges and universities, including Bay Mills Community College and Lake Superior State University, called off classes. And despite the old adage that mail is delivered through rain, sleet and snow, mail delivery did not take place.
Across Chippewa, Luce and Mackinac counties, road crews were busy trying to clear a path for traffic, while towing services were constantly rescuing people from the ditch. Rural routes in Chippewa County, such as Bound Road and Mackinaw Trail, were riddled with abandoned cars. On the other hand, Bay Mills Emergency Connection reported no call outs for accidents or otherwise.
In Bay Mills a power outage struck around noon Monday, Feb. 6 leaving many businesses forced to send employees home. The outage lasted approximately two hours. Bay Mills Resort and Casino stayed open as well as tribal offices, but Kings Club Casino shut down.
According to Rod Jones, BMRC general manager, Kings Club was shut down due to a lack of employees, which was actually a blessing in disguise.
"We had to suffer a couple of bad days for a couple of good days," he said. "We had one day where no one could get here but this will help us because we didn't have much snow before. This will amount to more business as it will bring in more snowmobilers. "
The weather was a rude awakening for some as the area has enjoyed mild temperatures in the last few weeks. The Saturday prior to the storm brought temperatures in around 37 degrees in Sault Ste. Marie where the 40th running of the I-500 was taking place.
While some cursed digging out and driving in the wintery mix, children and snowmobilers were more than happy to have it hit the ground. The lack of snow this winter has not produced many "snow days" for school age children or enough snow to pack down the snowmobile trails.
