Old Man Winter Finally Appears

    Old Man Winter finally reared his ugly head in Journal Country this past week. Several days of snow and intense wind took its toll on the area, though impacts were not nearly as severe as early forecasts predicted. 
    Last week, predictions of over two feet of snow and days of 50 mile per hour winds sent locals to work preparing. However, the storm systems ended up sliding to the south which lessened the impacts. 
    Still, inches of snow fell and was blown around by mighty winds. Doug Oelkers Records tallied about nine inches of the white stuff in the Britton area. Winds gusted up to 45 miles per hour according to the National Weather Service.
    Both Britton-Hecla and Langford Area Schools canceled classes on Friday, Monday and Tuesday. There were reports of motorists stuck or in the ditch, though it was far worse on the interstate in the Summit Area. 
    With forecasted temperatures not overly warm throughout the next week, the snow may hang around a while.