Locals brave whiteout conditions
It’s hard to get Village of Empire Clerk Alicia Acton to stay home.
A blizzard certainly didn’t stand a chance as she braved a half mile walk to work Monday where she was greeted by a village resident dropping off a utility bill on skis.
“That was the excitement of my day,” Acton said. The last three days have been ‘a perfect storm’ for our area. The combination of significant snowfall with layers of ice and wind that packed it all together including yesterday with wind gusts 30 mph has made the task of cleaning up very challenging. This morning, There were snow drifts 8-feet tall at the Lake Michigan Beach Park.”
After the Leelanau Blizzard of 2026 created chaos with nearly a hundred calls of cars, trucks and semis falling victim and found themselves in various ditches. Even a road commission plow truck found itself in a ditch near in Cedar.
Leelanau County woke up Monday buried as blizzard conditions brought life to a near total-standstill.
“This is definitely the worst storm of memory over six years that I’ve been here. People are comparing it to 1978,” Leelanau County road Commission General Manager Brendan Mullane said. “(The drivers) are working their tails off all day since Sunday. Some of the roads we were able to get fully open Monday and Tuesday, but we are still making one pass on any road we can.”
Leland Township firefighter Brendan Morse says the crew has been preparing for this storm for several days and reports that most residents have been pretty smart.
“We’ve been plowing all night at both fire stations (Lake Leelanau and Leland) to keep the doors open to have the trucks out to respond,” Morse said. ”Everyone’s been pretty smart, staying off the road and staying in.”
NJ’s Grocery in Lake Leelanau closed Monday because of snow, along with the Leelanau County Government Center, and all schools. A couple of brave businesses remained open in Lake Leelanau, such as Northway gas station and Pedaling Beans Coffee, providing services.
Local Leelanau County fire departments and the Leelanau County Sheriff’s department have been busy as calls ramp up during the storm.
“If you don’t need to be out, then you shouldn’t. Look at yourself in the mirror while making the decision because it’s very hazardous,” Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Borkovich said.
While speaking with the Enterprise, Borkovich came across a motorist stuck and in distress.
After returning the phone call, he said, “Don’t do what she did, don’t go on the road unless it’s for a real emergency (not errands).”
Local snowplow driver Tim Plamondon said he, along with dozens of other drivers in the area, has been working around the clock over the past two days in the Lake Leelanau area.
“I only got a couple of hours of sleep last night and had to get back at it today,” he said. “(The hardest part about plowing in these conditions) is the visibility, and with the amount of snow we got, pushing a foot of snow is tough, it’s kind of crazy.”
Snow is expected to diminish Tuesday with some lingering showers going into Wednesday, according to the NWS.
“(Monday afternoon) The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow. Steady temperature around 17. Wind chill values as low as zero. Blustery, with a north wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Total daytime snow accumulation of around 6 inches,” NWS said in a detailed forecast. “(Monday night) Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow, mainly before 8 p.m. Low around 13 degrees. Wind chill values as low as -2. Blustery, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around 3 inches.”
Nearly three feet of snow fell during the Blizzard of 1978 over a three-day period in Leelanau County. The 2026 blizzard is formidable on its own, but the 1978 storm was coupled with winds of 70 mph, one for the ages. Winds have been gusting to as high as 50 mph, according to NWS.
