GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — Consistent snowfall Wednesday night into Thursday afternoon canceled school for students along the lakeshore and had adults fighting an uphill battle to keep driveways, sidewalks and roads clear.

“Pure lake effect here,” Robinson Township resident Steve Batchelder told News 8.

“I don’t think it has stopped since I’ve been awake. It’s been pretty constant,” added Tara Kram from Grand Haven.

For weather-hardened lakeshore residents, the bands of lake effect snow were business as usual. Some even had to beat their over-eager parents to the driveway. 

“I’m in Robinson where it is nice and sunny, but five miles makes all the difference,” Batchelder said. “I had to come into town to help my mom out. She’s 86 years old and will shovel this herself if I didn’t beat her to it.”

For local students, the deluge meant the first snow day of the year — triggering all the classic day-off activities.

“We stayed up super late and my parents are teachers, so they told us when we got the snow day,” one Grand Haven middle school student said. “We’re going to go sledding and make forts and everything.”

“My friends and I are going to see Moana 2,” another told us. “I was so happy when they canceled school because I didn’t have to do my homework.”