Weather Halts Huron Wed.

Boat service from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island was canceled Wednesday, December 9, when what meteorologists called a "monster storm" targeted the Straits region after crossing the Great Plains Tuesday.

Arnold Transit, which operates the steel-hulled Huron, canceled the first boat of the day, at 7:30 a.m., with low visibility from early morning darkness, high winds, and heavy snowfall in the Straits, said Jim Bentgen of the company.

"We like to wait at least until daylight on days like this to see what the weather's actually doing," said Mr. Bentgen. "It's so hard to tell when it's dark out what the water's doing."

By 10 a.m., boat service was canceled for the day, said Camille Bobinsky, who works in the company's Island office.