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Dec. 4, 2013: Waves and Snow in Canal Park
During the Dec. 2-4 snowstorm, more than 40 inches of snow fell on parts of Minnesota's North Shore. On Dec. 4, wind gusts topped 40 mph, whipping up large waves in Duluth's Canal Park that, together with the wet snow, thoroughly soaked our reporter.
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Phil Bencomo / Lake Superior Magazine
Dec. 4, 2013: Cross-country Skiing During the Storm
The weather made driving treacherous, but winter sports enthusiasts, like this skier in Duluth, welcomed the opportunity to pull out their gear.
Duluth averages 17.7 inches of snow in December. After a three-day snowstorm to kick off the month, the city has already topped that total by nearly 6 inches. And the 23.3 inches measured at the airport is more than a quarter of Duluth's typical snowfall total – 83.1 inches – for the entire season.
Up the Lake Superior shore, areas up the hill from Two Harbors, Minnesota, got an even bigger wallop during the Dec. 2-4 storm – 42 inches in all.
Some parts of the Keweenaw Peninsula saw up to 9 inches from the storm, too. In Ontario, Thunder Bay received 15 cm (about 6 inches).
The storm will be followed by a week of frigid temperatures, with highs rarely surpassing single digits Fahrenheit and dropping below zero overnight. The National Weather Service says the western Lake region could experience wind chills of minus 30, and a wind chill advisory is in effect from 8 p.m. tonight through 9 a.m. Friday.
Snowfall totals from around the region, as reported by the National Weather Service on Thursday morning:
Minnesota
- 42 inches – 5 miles north of Two Harbors
- 35.3 – 7 miles northwest of Two Harbors
- 34.5 inches – Beaver Bay
- 33 inches – 6 miles west of Two Harbors & 10 miles north of the Two Harbors
- 29.5 inches – Silver Bay
- 29.2 inches – Duluth Heights
- 24.5 inches – Lester Park, Duluth
- 23.3 inches – Duluth (official NWS station observation)
- 23 inches – Canyon
- 22.5 inches – 2 miles northeast of Lutsen
- 21.7 inches – 4 miles south of Sawyer
- 20.7 inches – 3 miles north-northeast of Finland
- 18.5 inches – Cloquet
- 17.6 inches – Brimson
- 17 inches – 1 mile northwest of Chisholm
- 16.5 inches – International Falls
- 14.5 inches – 3 miles east of Orr
- 14 inches – Embarrass
- 13.2 inches – Grand Marais
- 12.8 inches – McKinley
- 12 inches – Hoyt Lakes
- 11 inches – Larsmont
- 10.5 inches – 8 miles northeast of Cook
Wisconsin
- 21.1 inches – Herbster
- 19.5 inches – Superior
- 18.5 inches – Cornucopia
- 18 inches – Poplar
- 17 inches – Hawthorne & 7 miles south-southeast of South Range
- 16 inches – 7 miles southeast of Superior
- 10.5 inches – Gile
- 9.8 inches – Mercer