NEGAUNEE -- It's been a mild winter so far in the U.P, but residents got a taste of fresh snow this afternoon.

The powerful storm that's slamming the East coast has fired up the lake effect snow guns in Upper Michigan.  Light snow began last night and continued through this morning meaning a day of digging out for those in Marquette County.

"I like it.  I mean, I'm not overly in love with it, but it's Michigan and the U.P.  Thank God!" exclaimed George Young of Negaunee.

Negaunee resident Kirby Garbett agreed.  "That's why we live here.  I love it!  I miss all the seasons when I'm out in Hawaii, so when I come back this past fall; to be out in the woods and do a little ice fishing and then I'm going to go back here in the spring."

With more than nine inches falling in some areas, residents fired up their snowblowers or hoisted their shovels to dig their way out.

"I do a little bit of both.  I snowblow and I take the shovel and clean up what's left," explained Scott Nadeau of Marquette.

And although it may have been a pain to have to dig out this morning, many found the lake effect snow easy to move around.

"No, the snow is kind of light.  It's not heavy which is a good thing for an old person," Garbett said.

And as the snow tapers off tonight, it looks like we'll be able to put the shovels away for at least a few days.