Schools closed in northern Minn. due to cold

School children across northern Minnesota are enjoying an extra day off today because of frigid cold weather.

School districts from Cloquet and Duluth and on up the North Shore of Lake Superior cancelled school today, as did some districts inland on the Iron Range.

Beth Schwarz, superintendent of Cook County Schools in Grand Marais, said wind chills plummeted to 45 degrees below zero -- conditions that can cause bus fuel to gel.

"We're tough up here; we're used to the cold," she said. "But when it starts to get to that minus 45 below wind chill, there's just too much of a risk the buses will gel up."

Transportation safety is the key concern when evaluating whether to close school, she said.

Other districts across northeast Minnesota started classes later in the day. The Virginia school district reports a relatively large cohort of 100 students absent.