HOUGHTON — As predicted, winter weather struck the Copper Country just before the Thanksgiving holiday. The snow began in earnest just before midnight Tuesday dropping up to six inches in some locations. Winds gusting in excess of 40 mph were reported. The heavy snow, coupled with the high winds caused a lot of problems Wednesday. Multiple power outages were reported in Ontonagon, Houghton and keweenaw counties, affecting thousands of power customers.

According to the Upper Peninsula Power Company, more than 20,000 customers were without electricity at least at some point Wednesday.

A large-scale power outage occurred on the M-26 business strip in houghton, forcing several large retailers, including Marketplace Foods and Walmart to temporarily close. The outage also affected traffic flow

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