A Houghton public works truck sands Shelden Avenue during Monday’s snowfall. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette photo)

HOUGHTON — An early winter storm hit the Copper Country Sunday.

After a snowless November, several inches of snow hit the Keweenaw starting Sunday afternoon.

Cold Arctic air moved south over the still-warm area of Lake Superior, causing the lake effect storm, said Evan Kutta, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Negaunee Township.

The snow had prompted a winter storm warning Sunday. The lake effect snow is being seen throughout Upper Michigan, Kutta said. The highest snow totals came in Alger County and in Baraga County near Watton and Herman, which both saw around 6 inches as of this morning, Kutta said.

“This is impactful winter weather, but it’s nothing too out of the normal for Upper Michigan,” he said.

A winter weather advisory for Keweenaw and northern Houghton counties in effect Monday afternoon advised of lake effect snow and patchy blowing snow until 1 a.m. Tuesday. Up to 2 more inches of snow were forecast, plus wind gusts of up to 35 mph.

Winds had died down since Monday morning, when they were closer to 40 on the lakefront and 25 to 30 inland, Kutta said.

That was anticipated to lead to “pretty hairy” driving conditions further east, near Munising and Newberry, Kutta said.

The lake effect snow should continue overnight, easing Tuesday west to east.

“Snow should be ending tomorrow morning across the western U.P., then tomorrow evening across the eastern U.P.,” he said.

A clipper system will bring another round of light snowshowers to the area, bringing less than an inch.

By later this week, the U.P. should be seeing above-normal temperatures.