Travel advisory issued for Cook County roads amid icy, slippery conditions

Updated 1:35 p.m.

A travel advisory is in effect for Cook County roads due to slippery conditions, particularly on gravel roads.

The Cook County Highway Department issued the travel advisory at 11 a.m. on Thursday after crews attempted to salt and sand gravel roads but encountered unsafe conditions.

“Our crew is still out, but we’re not able to treat gravel roadways due to unsafe conditions for the operators and equipment,” Maintenance Superintendent Matt Nesheim said. “Forecasted freezing temps this afternoon may make conditions worse. Stay home if possible.”

Nesheim said county trucks are treating the asphalt roadways with salt and sand, but have ceased operations on gravel roads. The highway department will continue to monitor and, if possible, attempt to improve conditions using motor graders. Until then, Nesheim said travel is not advised.

WTIP has received reports that the corner near the pickeral gravel pit, approximately 15 miles up the Gunflint Trail, is covered in glare ice as of 11 a.m. Farther up the Gunflint, near mid-trail, WTIP received reports that it has been snowing most of Thursday morning with approximately 2 inches of wet snow.

In addition, there are reports of multiple gravel roads throughout the county, including County Rd 14, County Rd 6, County Rd 44, Pike Lake Rd, and Lindskog Rd, that are covered in ice, making it difficult for vehicles to stop.

At 1:30 p.m. highway department crews reported that County Rd 14 is extremely dangerous. Two cars are in the ditch. Crews are monitoring the road and are sending equipment over to attempt to improve road conditions. The highway department is in communication with the schools and the bus drivers for safety concerns.

Areas across Cook County experienced warmer temperatures Thursday morning accompanied by rain. Temperatures throughout the Arrowhead ranged in the 30s, hovering right about freezing closer to the Lake Superior shore. As the afternoon progressed, temperatures began to drop, creating slick road conditions.

“As we go through midday and into the afternoon, things start to get a little bit interesting,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Ketzel Levens.

Levens said temperatures will start to drop and winds will begin to increase between approximately 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. this evening. She described it as the “calm before the storm moment” as the northeast region moves into a winter weather advisory, in effect until 4 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19.

The winter weather advisory is expected to bring mixed precipitation across Lake and Cook Counties with wind gusts reaching as high as 60 mph. The National Weather Service states in the advisory that hazardous conditions could impact travel on Thursday and strong winds could cause tree damage.

With the travel advisory in effect and due to the dangerous travel conditions, all ISD 166 after-school activities, including school athletics, community education, and the band concert on Dec. 18 are canceled. The middle and high school band concerts are rescheduled for Monday, Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

A list of Cook County event cancellations or early closings on Thursday is below. WTIP will continue to update this as more information is available.

• The Grand Marais Public Library will close early on Thursday to allow staff to travel home safely. The library will close at 3 p.m.
• The Sweetwater Co. closed at noon due to the weather.
• Joy and Company will close early due to the weather.
• 1st and 2nd Thrift Store closed at noon
• The Death Cafe event is canceled
• The North Shore Swing Band’s Big Band Christmas is canceled
• Cook County YMCA will close early at 5 p.m. and all evening programming is canceled
• Cook County Schools will have a 2 hour late start, Friday December 19th to provide the County time to improve the road conditions.

Farther down the North Shore, in St. Louis County, a county plow truck slid off Hwy 44 and into the ditch due to slippery road conditions early Thursday morning. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office stated in a press release that there were no injuries resulting from the incident.

St. Louis County plow truck | Photo by St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office

WTIP’s CJ Heithoff spoke with National Weather Service meteorologist Ketzel Levens about Thursday’s weather conditions and an outlook for the weekend. The audio from the interview is below.

Kalli Hawkins December 18, 2025