By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - April 6, 2026

Two separate winter storms hit NE Minnesota during the first week of April 2026, bringing varying amounts of wet, heavy snow and gusty winds to Cook County and the Grand Portage areas. The back-to-back storms prompted warnings and advisories, with total accumulations from both storms bringing around 7-8 inches to the region.

The first storm arrived midweek and lasted through Friday morning, with the southern portion of the county under a Winter Storm Warning and the northern portion under a Winter Weather Advisory. 

In Cook County, reported totals from this first storm included:

• Hovland: 4.8"

• Grand Marais: 4.5-4.6"

A second storm followed Friday afternoon/evening, with a Winter Storm Warning in effect for all of Cook and Lake counties through early Sunday morning. This storm produced slightly less snowfall than the first, according to reports from the NWS Duluth.

Two-day reported snow totals for the second storm as of Sunday morning:

• Sea Gull Lake: 3.2-3.6"

• Grand Marais: 3.2-3.3"

• Hovland: 3.0"