Area schools closed Thursday due to the predicted winter weather that had been forecast by meteorologists for the past several days. Cloquet Schools superintendent Michael Cary told the Pine Knot News that, while the weather was unremarkable Wednesday afternoon, the forecast for Thursday meant students would be traveling home in the worst of the storm, which was predicted to hit hard between noon and 2 p.m. Thursday.

“That’s too late for us to do an early release, so it would mean kids would be traveling home from school at the worst time. After conferring with other Carlton County supe...