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More on the way

Major storm expected to dump 7 to 10 inches

BRUCE ROMICK SNOWBLOWS the sidewalk outside his home on Stockbridge Street in Iron Mountain. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — More snow is coming Thursday, with the National Weather Service saying 7 to 10 inches is possible in Dickinson and Iron counties.

The day’s heaviest snow is expected late morning into late evening. Power outages and tree damage may occur in areas that still have significant ice on power lines and trees, forecasters advised.

The weather service has issued a winter storm watch that will be in effect from 9 a.m. Thursday until midnight. Freezing drizzle tonight may result in a light glaze of ice over the south-central Upper Peninsula.

Friday is expected to be mostly cloudy and cold, with gusty winds and a high near 9 degrees.

About 6 inches of snow fell Tuesday night and early today, prompting most schools to operate under two-hour delays. Several districts canceled classes for the day, including Breitung Township, North Central and Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine.

Lows tonight are expected to be in the teens. Snow is likely mainly after midnight, possibly mixed with freezing rain until 7 a.m. when the storm is expected to turn to snow with gusty winds and a high near 23.

The weekend forecast appears calm, with highs in the teens.

Hundreds of schools were closed in Lower Michigan today as freezing rain left roads slippery and cut power to thousands of homes and businesses. Flooding caused by an ice jam along the Grand River in downstate Portland prompted officials to evacuate about 50 people from homes near the river.

Major utilities reported more than 50,000 customers were without power early Wednesday, mostly in western Lower Michigan, after freezing rain brought down trees and power lines.

Thursday’s snow will be the second phase of winter storm Lucian, which is spreading snow and ice from the Rockies to the Midwest and New England. Winter weather sweeping across the West has shuttered schools, made travel treacherous and closed all roads in Yosemite National Park.

This same system was expected to deliver rain and thunderstorms from the southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

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