ESCANABA — Hot on the heels of last week’s deep freeze and freezing rain earlier this week, the Upper Peninsula was slammed by a winter storm Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Marquette Office, this is not expected to be the last winter storm the area will experience this week.

Matt Zika, a meteorologist for the NWS Marquette Office, said the storm was not technically a blizzard.

“It was just a quick-moving winter storm — small, compact, but very intense,” he said.

Not all parts of the U.P. were equally affected by this storm.

“The heaviest (snow) fell from around Iron Mountain eastward … through Escanaba, Gladstone and the U.S. 2 corridor to the east,” Zika said.

According to reports the NWS has received from the area, a total of approximately 8 inches of snow fell in the Escanaba area Tuesday night and this morning.

“Most of that fell in less than six hours,” Zika said. In Marquette, he said only 3 inches of snow fell as a result of this storm.

The U.P.’s next major storm may arrive very soon, Zika said.

“There’s another significant winter storm that will be developing and be affecting the Upper Peninsula tomorrow,” he said. Snow from this storm may begin to hit the U.P. as soon as tonight, with the heaviest snowfall expected for Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening.

The upcoming storm could bring heavy snow across the peninsula. While the highest snowfall totals are expected for the western U.P., the Keweenaw Peninsula and near Marquette, significant snowfall is still likely for the Delta County area.

Zika noted local snowfall totals from this storm could be similar to those from the previous storm, but drawn out over a longer period of time. He also noted that, in his opinion, school closings and delays in the U.P. were “highly likely” for Thursday.

In addition to snowfall, cold temperatures are expected to grip the area in the near future.

“For Friday and Saturday, the high temperatures probably won’t be out of the single digits,” Zika said. While below-zero wind chills may be seen, as well, Zika noted that these will not be as intense as the wind chills seen last week.