Check out this video from Duluth photographer Dudley Edmondson. On the day of the mighty leap year blizzard, he says he came across this group of hardy surfers "who wait around all year for this kind of weather to surf the big waves on Lake Superior."

The photos and video of historic flooding in Duluth and northeastern Minnesota tell the tale better than words ever could. Here are some of the dramatic images.

East winds off Lake Superior brought more than a foot of new snow to Duluth and the north shore. It fell on top of the foot or so that came last Wednesday, giving the region as much snow in a week as it had over the whole winter until then.

All those media images of ruined roads and flooded-out buildings are not good for tourism, a major industry in Duluth, business owners in the region say.

A group of brave surfers were spotted hitting the waves on Lake Superior Friday. WDIO in Duluth reports the air temperature was near single digits, but the Great Lake was in the mid-30s. One of the surfers says he's been catching the waves for the past 15 years.

While the state and federal bureaucracies slowly creep toward getting financial help to flood victims, a group of volunteers in the Duluth area is taking a do-it-yourself approach. Volunteers organizing a recovery fund for flood victims have raised $1 million. They say loan centers opening soon around the region will help residents who qualify get loans of up to $200,000.

The Duluth News Tribune says the Lake Superior region is perfectly suited for entombing nuclear waste and that before area residents reflexively cringe, they should consider the benefits.