Oct. 27: Storm drops record 10 inches of snow. Truck driver dies near Scanlon when his rig skids off a snow-covered bridge into the St. Louis River. Three other fatalities occur across the state. Waves on Lake Superior cause major damage to Lakewalk. Power outages affect 3,600 customers. County Board declares a State of Local Disaster with initial damages assessments totaling $3.4 million.

Nov. 21: Fire destroys garage in Normanna Township, believed to be caused by a wood stove.

Nov. 26: Snowmobile goes through the ice on Rice Lake on a pressure ridge that stretches across the entire lake. Driver is able to jump off before it sinks but is unable to safely walk 1.5 miles back to shore. St. Louis County Rescue Squad reaches him with an airboat. 

Nov. 27: Two people drown on Upper Red Lake near Waskish when their ATV goes through the ice.

Dec. 4: Minnesota State Patrol reports more than 500 spinouts and 400 crashes statewide during snowstorm.

Dec. 7: Pickup truck falls through the ice on Lake Vermilion. Driver had been stopping to measure the ice in different spots. Fortunately he is not in the truck when it falls through. 

Dec. 11: Semi truck pulling a trailer is hit by a train in Kelsey Township. Driver is unable to stop due to slippery road conditions, so he tries to make it across the tracks in front of the train. He is not injured but both the train and the trailer are heavily damaged.

Dec. 11: Two men are pulling a portable ice house with a snowmobile on St. Mary’s Lake, south of Eveleth, when they fall through the ice. They are in the water for a half-hour to 45 minutes before they are able to signal for help.

Dec. 13: Truck falls through the ice on Grand Lake. The two occupants are able to get out before it goes under.

Dec. 16: Deputies dispatched to a report of a pickup truck overturned and partially submerged in a stream in Alborn Township. The driver is able to escape the vehicle and run to nearby cabins, eventually finding one that is occupied a mile away.

Dec. 16: Sheriff’s Office responds to the call of an unresponsive man in the Saginaw area. Upon arrival it’s determined that he and his dog are deceased. Preliminary cause appears to be carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator running inside of the cabin. 

Dec. 17: Snowmobile strikes a forestry road gate near Orr. An 18-year-old woman dies at the scene and a 21-year-old man is injured.

Dec. 17: Man traveling on ATV on Rice Lake Road is injured when he strikes a guide wire post.

Dec. 25: Due to giant pool of Arctic air, high temperature expected to be minus 10, low minus 19.

For information on ice safety see mndnr.gov/icesafety.