Yup, more than four feet fell in some places. In the end, it was an historic winter storm in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — in some places. But not right here.
Almost 40″ fell on Mount Arvon, just 15 miles away. But here on the west side of Huron Bay, maybe 16″ based on my twice-daily shoveling.
The forecasts said we might get 2-3 feet. A forecast is “casting forward”…a prediction, not a guarantee. Like casting for fish, you can’t be sure of a bite, never mind a fish.
I don’t understand why weather forecasters get so much heat, especially in places surrounded by water and hills that disrupt weather patterns. Certainty seems more expected now. Most people live in black-or-white, right-or-wrong. There’s little room for negotiation. Or possibilities. Or being wrong.
I had no expectations, but I was still disappointed in the local outcome. I love an exciting storm, as long as I’m prepared for it. Yet it was beautiful. Here’s Winter Storm Iona of March 2026 in photos and captions.
This is not my house, but it was a fairly common sight about 100 miles away.
On my own porch, I woke up on Monday to moderate drifts. Shovels are always nearby during winter in the Upper Peninsula, since you often need to shovel your way out.
Drifting was more pronounced on the SW corner of the long porch because of shifting winds.
I shoveled off the south-facing porch in order to…
…dig a path to my favorite deer-feeding area.
I also had to shovel my way to my west-facing front door because of that NW wind. When snowfall is combined with wind, it’s called a blizzard.
A blizzard can create interesting designs. This is my car a few hours after I cleared it off…
…and an intriguing “sculpture” not far from my front door.
A blizzard is always fun to watch, especially from the safety of the porch.
When a storm ends, you walk around the property to look for any problems. I didn’t find any. (Icicles aren’t a problem unless they fall on your head.) After that, it’s time for…
…a trek into the woods by snowshoe to look for downed trees. (This one is just bent.)
You can tell the wind wasn’t strong in the woods because snow still clung to the branches.
The snow wasn’t very deep but it was heavy. You can hear me pant in this short video. 🙂
Next, a trek down the road to figure out when to call for a plow. This private road isn’t cleared until I call someone. The snow wasn’t deep but it was messy, and I would probably have become stuck if I drove out before plowing. So I was snowbound for a few days. Fun!
The return of bright sunshine after a blizzard is such a joy! We need variety and contrast to avoid boredom or complacency. I love contrasting weather, but many people prefer other kinds of variety.
After the plow came through, it looked like a road again…albeit a narrow one.
The plow left this six-foot bank on my drive–the part I don’t need in winter. See that long fence in the background? That’s the first thing we built on this land, about four years ago. It’s weathering well.
And then this bank on the other side of the drive. It’s a good thing a lot of snow melted before the recent blizzard, because we run out of space to push the snow!
As soon as the road was open, I checked out the closest ski trails. Fresh snow, freshly-groomed!
I had the trails to myself. Notice the tree branches are bare here. This is about 12 miles from my place, where the branches were still snow-laden. These are mostly conifers, so no pine needles to catch the snow. But I also think the wind was stronger here.
Boo seemed undisturbed by the storm, or the ever-present deer. She generally ignores them, but eyeballed this one while sitting on the bed. I suppose the height gave her a better view. The remaining photos are more of “my outdoor pets,” especially the fawn who stays close.
I turned on my porch light to catch this, as she peered over the stack of firewood on the porch.
I started to put food on top of the wood for her, since she has to compete with older deer. She learned quickly, and goes there regularly now.
I feed mostly alfalfa but sometime throw out a handful of corn, which she sniffs out in a hurry.
She’s the only one (so far) who comes onto the porch. This is my view as I lie in bed. (That’s why I have a patio door in the bedroom, too. When designing this place, it was all about the views.)
Also taken from bed. She’s snuffling around the feed can on the porch, looking for stray treats. There’s always a few, because alfalfa can be messy to store and move.
Another “butt view.” 😉 I think this is the fawn’s mother.
My usual visitors in this morning’s sunshine.
A final note, and caution, about feeding wildlife. See the suet hanging off the porch, and a little bird eating from it? One just like it died an hour ago by flying into the window…in spite of the decals you can see on the window pane. 😦 I heard the “thump” while writing this and stopped writing to apply more decals, making sure they are 2″ apart. If you’re going to feed, please feed responsibly. Thankfully, Boo does not care to catch birds. Update: The little bird who flew into the window was apparently just stunned, not killed. Yay. But same cautions apply.
For Many Moons 