Painesdale, Mich. resident Ronnie Jackson snapped this photo of his shed, which he says is completely buried by snow following a record-breaking storm. Image provided by Ronnie Jackson.
© Ronnie JacksonPainesdale, Mich. resident Ronnie Jackson snapped this photo of his shed, which he says is completely buried by snow following a record-breaking storm.
Michiganders in the Upper Peninsula used shovels, plows and tractors to dig themselves out on Wednesday after some areas received more than 30 inches of snow during a record-breaking storm that began on Sunday evening and ended late Tuesday. Yoopers took to social media to share pictures of doorways and windows completely blocked by snow.

Ronnie Jackson, of Painesdale,about 100 miles northwest of Marquette, says he had to hire a tractor to dig a path to his home so that his fiancé could go to work and he could take his dog outside.


"I know I've got over 100 inches easily in my yard," he says. "My whole shed is covered."

Jackson says the snowfall started late Sunday evening and increased in intensity through Tuesday, with the majority of the snowfall occurring on Tuesday afternoon. The National Weather Service reported on Tuesday that snow was falling at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, creating whiteout conditions and making everyday tasks difficult or impossible for the peninsula's 300,000 residents.

Jackson says he spent all afternoon and evening Tuesday shoveling his front driveway, only to discover that he should have turned his attention elsewhere.

"Because the snow on my roof was so heavy, it was dripping into the house," he says. "So I had to get on top of the roof at times and just shovel the roof off."

In Houghton County, where Jackson lives, the NWS reported on Wednesday that cumulative snow depth had reached 50 inches in some areas. And its branch in Marquette reported on Wednesday that Tuesday's was the single largest snowfall amount for any single day in February on record.


"An additional 2 inches of snow fell at the National Weather Service Office in Negaunee Township between 7 AM and 1 PM which brings our official 54 hour storm total to 37.1 inches," NWS Marquette reported via Twitter on Wednesday.

Additional light snowfall is expected this evening for the eastern half of the peninsula, NWS says, along with frigid temperatures below 0 degrees.

"I don't think we'll see snow (fall) like that again for a while," Jackson says wishfully.

Painesdale, Mich. resident Ronnie Jackson says this was the view from his window on Wednesday morning following a record-breaking snow storm.
© Ronnie JacksonPainesdale, Mich. resident Ronnie Jackson says this was the view from his window on Wednesday morning following a record-breaking snow storm.