By RANDY CROUCH

Journal City Editor

MARQUETTE — A massive spring storm caused cancelations and power outages across much of the Upper Peninsula Wednesday.

A predicted 24-plus inches of snow caused school and business to announce closures as early as Tuesday afternoon in preperation for severe weather that made travel in some areas of the U.P. impossible.

Much of the central U.P. was impacted by high winds and freezing rain during Wednesday’s storm, causing thousands of area residents to lose power, including nearly 10,000 in Menominee county and more than 3,000 in Delta county as of noon on Wednesday.

While much of the predicted snow didn’t materalize in Marquette Wednesday morning, high winds, with gusts as high as 50 mph, slush and freezing rain made driving conditions difficult for many commuters.

Snowy conditions are still expected through much of today but forecasts for the upcoming weekend are looking much better, with the National Weather Service predicting sunny weather in the high-to-mid 40’s.

Randy Crouch can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext 570. His email address is rcrouch@miningjournal.net