Winter Storm Warning causes delays across Houghton County

HOUGHTON — We’ll we had a break on the winter weather during the Christmas holiday and ironically the snow and freezing temperatures have now returned. Mondays winter storm warning meant delays and cancellations across Houghton County.

Snowmobile might be the preferred way to get around Houghton County for the next couple of days. From Calumet to Hancock the streets are a slushy mess. It’s why the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning not just for Houghton, but nine other surrounding counties until 1 a.m. Tuesday. Scattered power outages are possible due to heavy snow on trees and power lines and travel will be difficult. Just ask Joe Koch. He’s trying to get a flight to Fort Wayne, Indiana and says, “Yeah, because of the weather the flights have been canceled and I can’t rebook until January 5^th.”

He’s now looking at making a twelve hour drive back to Fort Wayne. And he’s not the only one. At least 800 people are expected to fly in for the cross country ski competition that starts Thursday. They too may be delayed.

Dennis Hext is the Houghton County Memorial Airport Manager and says, “Because of the weather, because of the visibility it’s not always possible for the flights to arrive safely. Safety is the number one priority.”

The road commission says it is business as normal but the wet and heavy snow will make it slow going. They’re preparing for one to two inches and up to 18. The amount of snow is not unusual; it’s the weekend’s rain and warmer temps. All that water is now freezing. They’ll be using sand rather than salt so drivers have more traction. Drivers are encouraged to leave early or stay off the roads completely.