Signs of Spring? Winter storm causes power outages, cancellations

By RANDY CROUCH

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE -- Anyone

In the photo at top left, traffic is rerouted onto Fair Avenue from Lakeshore Boulevard in the city of Marquette on Monday due to heavy, wet snow causing inclement driving conditions along Lake Superior. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric) In the photo below left, weather conditions cause a semi-truck to get stuck on Fourth Street in Marquette Monday morning. Above right, a photo shows footprints in the snow. (Journal photos by Randy Crouch) The snowstorm caused cancelations throughout the Upper Peninsula, including many schools, as well as power outages around the Marquette area. At lower right, a robin looks toward a bird feeder along the Dead River on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Gail Thompson)

In the photo at top left, traffic is rerouted onto Fair Avenue from Lakeshore Boulevard in the city of Marquette on Monday due to heavy, wet snow causing inclement driving conditions along Lake Superior. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric) In the photo below left, weather conditions cause a semi-truck to get stuck on Fourth Street in Marquette Monday morning. Above right, a photo shows footprints in the snow. (Journal photos by Randy Crouch) The snowstorm caused cancelations throughout the Upper Peninsula, including many schools, as well as power outages around the Marquette area. At lower right, a robin looks toward a bird feeder along the Dead River on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Gail Thompson)

Wet, heavy snow caused cancellations and power outages throughout the Upper Peninsula on Monday.

Hundreds of people were without power in the city of Marquette much of Monday morning, according to the Marquette Board of Light and Power. The Upper Peninsula Power Company reported that more than 2,000 National Mine, Negaunee Township and Ishpeming customers, as well as more than 2,000 in the Gwinn area, were without power as of late Monday morning.

The National Weather Service in Negaunee reported high snow totals in the area, with 14.5 inches reported in Negaunee and 8.3 inches Marquette. The NWS also issued a gale warning through this afternoon.

As of Sunday, many weather services were predicting nearly 2 feet of snow from the storm, which is predicted to last through this morning.

Schools from around the Upper Peninsula were canceled, including Marquette, Northern Michigan University, Negaunee, Ishpeming, NICE Community Schools, Gwinn, L'Anse and Baraga, as well as many others on the western side of the U.P.

Other activities were rescheduled as well, including a city of Negaunee special meeting and public hearing, which was scheduled for Monday evening. That meeting has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. May 11.

The city of Marquette also informed residents via their social media pages that city officials were working remotely on Monday and asked residents to use email to contact the city.

Randy Crouch can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His email address is rcrouch@miningjournal.net.