Brian Silence had a lot of snow removal to do on April 20 after one of the many large snowfalls that have hit Cook County this month. Here he is removing snow from Dave and Bonnie MacLean’s property on Devil’s Track Lake. People throughout the county were stranded after the snowstorm that started April 18 and continued throughout the next day.
Last year at this time both Superior National at Lutsen and Gunflint Hills golf courses were open and golfers were out in their T-shirts and shorts sending golf balls towards greens that were, well, …green.
Not so this year. Snow covers most of the Northland after what appears to be a record amount of snowfall and ice still 2-3 feet thick covering inland lakes. Snowmobiling and cross country skiing have both been good on inland trails, an unusual circumstance for this time of year.
Just how much snow has fallen depends upon where you live. In Duluth meteorologists report that Duluth received more then 50 inches of April snow which makes it a record for any month in Duluth—ever!
Some areas of Cook County have certainly approached the Duluth totals. With snow falling in some amounts nearly every day for the last couple of weeks the area has seen high snow drifts and an inordinate number of people snow shoveling to clear walks and driveways.
Instead of weed whacking and fixing potholes and upheavals in the roads, the state and county has had its snow plow operators out constantly. In Grand Marais the plow truck drivers worked day and night to keep the streets clean. “We don’t keep track of plowing, but the crew was plowing a lot. All I know is that I’m ready for the snow to end so I can get my bicycle out,” said City Administrator Mike Roth, who added that he couldn’t remember a snowier April.
Endless snow and cold have also wreaked havoc with Cook County High School sports. So far half of the baseball and softball games have been cancelled and hope to be rescheduled—if the fields around the area clear and are playable. The CCHS track and boys’ tennis teams haven’t fared much better. Outdoor events have all been cancelled while each has taken advantage of indoor venues to get some competition in.
The biggest snowfall came on Thursday, April 18, with residents in and around Poplar Lake receiving about 2 feet of snow, while people living nearer the big lake got less, maybe a paltry 12-18 inches. School was cancelled in Cook County on April 15 due to snow and would have been cancelled on Friday, April 19th if it weren’t already a scheduled day off. The rest of the Northland school children stayed home on the 19th due to the stormy winter conditions.
But Cook County missed (1-3 inches fell here) the next big storm on Sunday night that again closed schools on the Iron Range. That snow was followed by snowflakes falling nearly every day until April 23, when winter finally shrugged its shoulders and slowly loosened its grasp on the Arrowhead Region.
On April 24 temperatures hit a rosy 41 F in Grand Marais with 40 F predicted for Thursday and then an astonishing 53 F predicted for Friday. No snow is in the foreseeable forecast, but then again, early April looked like it was heading for spring before winter came storming back. Until the snow is gone, most residents aren’t putting their snow shovels away and winter gear will hang where it can be quickly grabbed. April fooled us once, but not again.
We hope.
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