More than a foot of snow has already fallen in recent days in many spots in the Copper Country with more in the forecast.  ABC Ten’s Keweenaw Bureau Reporter Rick Allen explains why this might be happening.

 

Winter has returned to the Copper County in a big way as Heikki Lunta dumps more than a foot of snow in some places on the Peninsula.   On Saturday, there was virtually no snow remaining in the Houghton area.  With the winter tourism industry in jeopardy and no snow in the immediate future…drastic measures were needed.

 

That’s when morning show host Todd Van Dyke on 97-7 The Wolf played the legendary Heikki Lunta Snow Dance song last week.   Heikki Lunta is the mythical Finnish Snow God…with the name translating into “Hank Snow”…a tongue in cheek reference to the classic country singer of the same name.

 

The story goes that when the song…recorded by Dave Riutta and first aired on WMPL 1970…a green winter quickly became a white one.    Many Copper Country residents are digging themselves out from this weekend’s storm.

 

With more snow in the forecast, it could be that Heikki Lunta once again heard his song.   In the original story, so much snow fell that a second song entitled “Heikki Lunta Go Away” was needed!

 

Another week of this weather…and local residents may be asking for that next.