Snowblowers, plows and shovelers all got workouts in trying to get driveways, walkways and roadways cleared from what many called the strongest winter storm to hit the region in their memory.

Sherry Tregillis wielded a shovel at several Six Mile Lake homes Tuesday after her husband, Lee, had labored to cut paths with a snowblower through more than 2 feet drifts, shaped by the high winds Monday.

A lifelong Upper Peninsula resident, Sherry said she’s never seen this much snow from a single event.

Snowfall totals aren’t official, but it appears the storm surpassed a two-day record at Iron Mountain-Kingsford set on March 31 and April 1, 2023, when 21 inches of snow was measured. The total at Iron Mountain and Kingsford since the storm began early Sunday was at least 24 inches, according to National Weather Service data that may yet be updated.

Sherry Tregillis and husband Lee, in back with the snowblower, help clear a path through more than 2 feet of snow at a neighbor's home Tuesday at Six Mile Lake in northern Dickinson County. They also plowed out the driveway in the aftermath of Blizzard Elsa. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo)

The record for one day at Iron Mountain-Kingsford is 17 inches reported on Jan. 4, 1971. The March record for one day is 12.5 inches reported on March 6, 1959.

Blizzard Elsa brought much of the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin to a standstill Sunday and Monday, with the eastern U.P. harder hit than the western counties. Schools across the region were closed for Monday and Tuesday, as were a number of businesses and other agencies, to allow time to dig out.

Round Lake in Delta County topped the National Weather Service’s snowfall reports from the winter storm at 52 inches as of 9 a.m. Tuesday, with Herman in Baraga County recording 45 inches as of 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Marquette set a new record for a two-day snowfall at 37.6 inches, topping 31.9 inches on March 13-14 in 1997, according to NWS.

Other totals of note included Menominee with 34 inches at 8 a.m. Tuesday and Escanaba with 33.5 inches at 11 p.m., reportedly another record.

Yet the Keweenaw area, usually among the snowiest parts of the U.P., got only a few inches from the system.

Dickinson County crews had most roads plowed by Tuesday afternoon, said Jim Harris, managing director for the county’s Road Commission.

He expected to finish East Kingsford in Breitung Township, including alleys, either later Tuesday or early today.

Harris credited his crew of roughly 30 people. “I tell you what, we’re pretty proud of where we’re at,” considering the magnitude of the storm, he said.

Those remaining Dickinson County roads to be done are —

— Turner Road from the end of the blacktop to the intersection of 426/581.

— Camp 3 Road to just south of the Camp 3 bridge; it will be plowed to Chainsaw Junction.

— Two Mile Road.

— 581 north of the end of the blacktop.

— Newberg Road past Atkinson’s Place.

— Buckler and Aimony roads.

— Lotto Lake Road.

— Lions Lake Road had some plowing but still has an area in the middle of the road with a ridge of snow.

— Lantz Road.

— Camp 9 Road.

Much of the unplowed roads or sections still remaining have gravel surfaces, Harris said. Since they can cause wear and tear on the plows plus damage to the road, some roads will be plowed only if they have full-time residents, he said, noting the county already is under seasonal weight restrictions.

It could take through the end of the week to get to some of these roads, Harris said. Anyone with questions about these roads can call the road commission at 906-774-1588.

Iron Mountain initially planned to delay garbage collections by one day this week, but it’s now a two-day postponement. Monday’s pickups are taking place today. Tuesday’s collections will be on Thursday, and Wednesday’s on Friday.

In Kingsford, Monday and Tuesday pickups will be on Thursday, while Wednesday and Thursday collections will take place Friday.

Iron Mountain City Manager Jordan Stanchina said this storm was difficult, but the wet snow that fell on April Fool’s Day in 2023 presented more problems. The latter storm disabled some city plows, which wasn’t the case with Blizzard Elsa.

The same winter storm system hammered much of Wisconsin and brought snow and ice in northern Lower Michigan before moving east.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Delta County in the Upper Peninsula along with Alcona, Alpena, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Roscommon and Wexford counties in the northern Lower Peninsula. The state will assist with response and recovery efforts.

The governor has also declared a state of energy emergency for the entire state, in order to ensure the speedy delivery of heating fuel to affected people.

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Betsy Bloom can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85240, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com. News Editor Jim Anderson contributed.