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Enough already

Late storm drops snow, freezing rain on region

AL MEINER SHOVELS his driveway on Marquette Boulevard in Kingsford on Thursday afternoon after a storm system brought about 5 to 7 inches of snow to the area. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A late-season winter storm brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the region Thursday into this morning, forcing most area schools to cancel classes yet again.

Almost 15 school districts — including Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Norway and Niagara, Wis. — were closed today due to weather.

Iron Mountain and Kingsford received about 5 inches of wet, heavy snow, according to the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Elsewhere in the Upper Peninsula, Norway had 6.7 inches, Menominee 7.5 inches, Marquette 6.1 inches, Escanaba 3 inches, Ontonagon 6.4 inches and Houghton 6 inches, according to the National Weather Service office in Marquette.

The NWS predicts rain this afternoon, with a mix of rain and snow tonight and winds gusting up to 22 mph.

The storm was part of a system that barreled through the Midwest, burying several states in snow and created dangerous travel conditions.

The storm lingered today in parts of Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, but the system is expected to weaken as it moves north. Several snow-packed highways remain closed in Nebraska, and forecasters say unseasonably low temperatures will linger through the weekend.

Thursday’s blizzard was the second “bomb cyclone” storm system to hit the region in a month. It closed highways, knocked out power to tens of thousands of people and left behind 25 inches of snow in northeast South Dakota.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem closed government offices in most of the state for a third straight day today. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a state of emergency in much of his state, where the Minnesota State Patrol has responded to more than 500 crashes since Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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