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Severe weather closes Lakeshore Blvd, makes driving treacherous

MARQUETTE — A heavy, wet snowfall over the eastern and central Upper Peninsula this morning is causing slick driving conditions with at least one car accident reported, while strong winds and lake activity has lead to the closure of Lakeshore Boulevard.

The stretch of Lakeshore Boulevard between Hawley and Wright streets in Marquette was closed this morning as of about 9 a.m. due to high wave activity in the area.

Art Carlson, street supervisor for the Marquette Department of Public Works, said waves are crashing over the rocks, causing about eight to 10 inches of flooding on the road.

He said it’s hard to say how long the road will be closed.

“As soon as Mother Nature turns the wind around the other way, the northeast is killing us right now,” Carlson said. “It could be a day, it could be a couple days. The wind is supposed to change this afternoon from northeast to straight north. If it does that, there should be no problems getting it back open again.”

He added, however, “It’s (going to) be a while.”

A front end loader is out there this morning trying to push the water into the ditches and back out into the lake, he said. Then the road will have to be scraped down to remove the ice before it’s safe for drivers.

While it’s hard to tell, Carlson said he doesn’t expect any long-term damage to the road.

Justin Titus, meteorologist at the Negaunee Weather Service, said about 1 to 3 inches of heavy snow is falling this morning across the U.P. The low pressure system is expected to drop 1 to 4 inches as it moves from the central to northeastern U.P. throughout the day.

The quality of the snow is due to relatively mild temperatures, with a high of about 25 degrees today, he said.

It’s cloudy and blustery, with 15-20 mph winds and gusts reaching as high as 30 mph, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Titus said at about 9:30 a.m. that US-41 between Negaunee and Marquette was still snow-covered.

Police reported at least one car accident this morning in Chocolay Township near Green Garden Hill, but details were not available by press time.

The Chocolay Township Police Department posted a warning on its Facebook page.

“Please use caution on the roadways this morning,” the post read. “Blowing snow and ice covered roads are making travel difficult.”

A small craft advisory is in effect on the lake through late tonight, according to NOAA.

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