It helped that the storm arrived on a Sunday, after a sunny and clear Saturday, and by Monday had taken such hold of the region that few were willing to try their luck on the roads until later in the day.

But a common theme in talking with businesses, road crews, local hospitals and more was preparation. All took the warnings of a potentially generational winter storm seriously, which might account for why the record snowfall — the total at Iron Mountain and Kingsford from early Sunday through Monday was at least 24 inches, according to National Weather Service data — seemed to have caused little lasting damage and few significant problems.

Here’s several views on Blizzard Elsa’s effects in the region:

A run on the grocery stores

Maintenance teams at Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson worked around the clock to keep the hospital accessible for patients and emergency vehicles. By Friday, a good portion of the snow had melted off. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

The looming winter storm made for a busy Friday and Saturday for two local grocery stores.

Super One Foods Store Manager Matt Chellew said preparations to meet the increased demand began ahead of the storm. “We added more help on for Saturday and ordered extra of the essentials,” he said.

The busiest shopping day came Saturday. Customers focused on staple items, with meat, milk, eggs, bread, snack foods and bottled water among the most popular purchases.

During the surge, Chellew said staff worked hard to keep items stocked.

“My staff did an outstanding job keeping products on the shelf so our customers could get everything they needed in one stop,” he said.

Ashlee May moves snow in front of Aurora Auto in Aurora, Wis. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

When the storm arrived Sunday and continued into Monday, Super One adjusted by closing early both days.

Meanwhile, maintenance crews worked throughout the storm so the parking lot remained accessible. “They had to keep plowing all day long to keep up with it,” Chellew said.

By Tuesday morning, “it was business as normal” at the store, Chellew said.

Unlike some weather events, Chellew noted there was no significant surge in shoppers after the storm had passed. “I believe everyone prepared well enough ahead of time,” he said.

Tadych’s Marketplace Foods of Iron Mountain also had a flood of shoppers before Blizzard Elsa hit.

“As expected, we had significant sales growth on Friday and Saturday,” said Store Director Matt VandenAvond. “We did a good job of being prepared and did what we could to not run out of essentials.”

To ensure employee safety, the store Sunday and Monday operated only during daylight hours while remaining available for emergency needs. VandenAvond said the store used minimal staff, supported by its management team.

“Very few shoppers came in on Sunday or Monday morning, but by late afternoon Monday we started seeing some activity in the store,” he said.

By Tuesday, the store was back to regular hours, with a full staff to restock shelves with delayed deliveries.

VandenAvond also credited snow removal crews for keeping the parking lot open throughout the storm and expressed appreciation for local workers.

“I would like to thank all the county and city crews that worked around the clock to keep our town moving and safe and to the power and utility companies that did a good job in preparing for weather events,” VandenAvond said.

“Thank you to my team for showing up before the storm and doing all we could to give our community a positive shopping experience and the continued efforts of my team to continue improving every day to be the best for the community,” he added.

Staff steps up to keep hospitals open

Staff and emergency responders at Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson in Iron Mountain worked around the clock as well to ensure patient care continued without interruption.

Advance preparation played a key role in the hospital’s response.

“We leaned into our preparedness work and our disaster plans we had in place in anticipation of the storm,” Jeff Starck, Sanford Health senior media relations specialist, said in an emailed response. “It’s our responsibility to keep our team and our patients safe while ensuring access to care in the safest ways.”

With forecasts indicating the potential for severe weather, outpatient departments and clinics worked remotely.

“As a result of the weather, we had to reschedule quite a few appointments and elective procedures,” Starck said.

Once the storm arrived, maintenance and grounds crews focused on keeping the facility accessible. Crews remained on site throughout Sunday and into the week to keep up with snow removal.

“Our staff were trained and knew exactly what to do,” Starck said. “The maintenance crews circled the building time and time again to keep all entrances clear and safe for patients and staff.”

Starck thanked all the local emergency services and the municipal plow crews that played a critical role during the storm to provide care and safety for the community. Despite difficult travel conditions, local police, fire and EMS agencies were able to transport patients.

“It was slow-going, but municipal plow crews were instrumental in helping keep roads open enough for emergency vehicles and hospital staff,” Starck said.

He added that their internal disaster plans allowed them to respond effectively without needing additional assistance.

Staffing challenges were addressed through advance planning. Some staff members chose to stay at the hospital ahead of the storm to ensure coverage, while others volunteered to take on extra shifts.

“In situations like this, we see our providers’ and staff’s dedication to our patients,” Starck said. “They stayed overnight, worked extra shifts and made sure people were cared for.”

The maintenance teams worked at all hours to keep the hospital accessible, while pharmacy staff, too, kept the retail pharmacy open so community members could obtain needed medications.

The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center kept its main hospital in Iron Mountain open as some employees elected to stay overnight as well. Others helped co-workers by plowing or providing rides.

On Monday, the VA decided to close its community-based outpatient clinics in Gladstone, Hancock, Ironwood, Manistique, Marquette, Menominee and Sault Ste. Marie, as well as a northern Wisconsin clinic in Rhinelander.

The Iron Mountain center remained open for appointments as able.

On Tuesday, outpatient clinics remained closed in Manistique, Marquette and Menominee.

Few emergencies in the midst of the storm

The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department managed to keep a full staff — two to three on road patrol, another two to three on dispatch and three to four at the jail — even during the height of the storm, Sheriff Aaron Rochon said.

Sunday had more problems, as the storm seemed to accelerate quickly, he said.

“I feel it kind of led to people traveling when they shouldn’t have,” Rochon said of Sunday. Some motorists ended up stuck, which in turn hampered the road crews trying to keep at least the main routes cleared.

Still, they didn’t have to deal with too many issues that first day, Rochon said.

Monday saw people mostly staying put. It was quiet enough his department filled some of the time with online training, Rochon said.

He thanked the businesses and employers that closed Monday so the public would stay in place.

The 48-year-old lifelong resident of the area, with 24 years in law enforcement, echoed what others had said about Blizzard Elsa: He’s never seen a single storm like this.

And like others, Rochon credited advanced preparation for making it through, communicating with emergency services and the Dickinson County Road Commission crews on what to do should they have to fight their way to a location through the storm.

“Fortunately,” Rochon said, “our county really didn’t need it.”

Fighting to keep up in Kingsford

Kingsford Public Works had 11 people working through the storm and beyond to clear the roads, Superintendent Jeff DeMuri said.

“It was all hands on deck, where everyone was working. Big props to them for their work,” he said. “We worked 14 to 15 hours on Sunday and got back to it at 4 a.m. Monday.”

White-out conditions Sunday made it difficult for the drivers. They started doing alleys on Sunday — a number of residents use the alleys to exit their property — but DeMuri said they were unable to keep up with the storm’s volume of snow.

When Blizzard Elsa finally moved on, his crews focused mainly on clearing at first. “There were big drifts by the airport, because it’s so open there — we had to use a front end loader to get it,” he said.

They now have most of the alleys open. They continued to do cleanup at area businesses until Friday afternoon, when temperatures into the 50s made the snow sticky and difficult to dump.

Recent years marked by late storms

While Blizzard Elsa fell within the late winter season, early spring storms have been troublesome in recent years as well.

Snowfall measured just a few inches during a March 30-31 storm in 2025, but the freezing rain that came with it cut electricity for nearly 10,000 customers in the Dickinson County area. Some outages in northern Wisconsin persisted several days.

In 2023, a March 31-April 1 storm dropped 21 inches of dense snow in the region, disabling five trucks in Iron Mountain’s public works fleet. Two differentials, an axle and a transmission line were among the casualties as the snow packed itself into the underbodies of vehicles. Rapid snowmelt that year led to floodwaters in parts of the Upper Peninsula.

In 2024, after an exceptionally warm winter came to an end, nearly 8 inches of snow fell March 24. Rain measuring 1.33 inches followed the next day. The final snow of the season was 4 inches on April 3.

———

Daily News staff members Terri Castelaz, Betsy Bloom, Jim Anderson and Marguerite Lanthier contributed to this report.