Ah, May in Minnesota — finally, time for spring showers, flowers, frocks and sandals.
Not so fast, at least if you live in northeastern Minnesota.
By Wednesday night, several inches of heavy, dense snow had fallen in a semicircle around Lake Superior, including the cities of Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay and Grand Marais in Minnesota and Superior, Washburn and Bayfield in Wisconsin, and the storm was just getting started.
Duluth reported 8.3 inches of snow by Thursday morning.
Photos of evergreens laden in white and snowy lawns and patios proliferated on social media late Wednesday, accompanied by many a colorful lament about the late-breaking storm.
A winter storm warning was in effect for the area around the big lake, with a winter weather advisory running north, west and south of the area. By early Thursday, much of the area will have 4 to 8 inches of new snow, the National Weather Service said, with 6 to 10 inches along the higher terrain surrounding Lake Superior.
By late Thursday, roads in the area were partly to mostly covered with snow or slush, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported. Many crashes and spinouts were reported in the storm zone, including along Interstate 35.
The snow-rain cutoff line appeared to run north just south of Pine City, with reports of a snow-rain mix in St. Cloud, Melrose and Little Falls. The St. Cloud area, at the southern end of the storm zone, will get a couple of inches by Thursday morning, the Weather Services said.
