Michigan, 1996

Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 18 to 19, 1996

December 18 to 19, 1996 · NWS MQT · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A surface trough stalled over central Upper Michigan and central Lake Superior on December 18 and 19. With northerly winds across the west half of Lake Superior, heavy lake effect snow developed around midnight on the 18th and continued through the evening of the 19th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MQT wrote it up.

A surface trough stalled over central Upper Michigan and central Lake Superior on December 18 and 19. With northerly winds across the west half of Lake Superior, heavy lake effect snow developed around midnight on the 18th and continued through the evening of the 19th. The heaviest snow occurred over Baraga, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties where amounts exceeded 2 feet in 36 hours. Actual totals were:Baraga CountyHerman.......33 inchesL'anse.......33 inchesThree Lakes..16 inchesWatton.......10 inchesGogebic CountyIronwood.....20 inches Houghton CountyCalumet......15 inchesKenton.......13 inchesPelkie.......12 inchesHoughton.....10 inchesKeweenaw CountyPhoenix......25 inchesOntonagon CountyBergland.....33 inchesOntonagon....22 inches

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Baraga

When
December 18, 12:00 AM EST to December 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Baraga forecast zone
Coordinates
46.700, -88.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Gogebic

When
December 18, 12:00 AM EST to December 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Gogebic forecast zone
Coordinates
46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Keweenaw

When
December 18, 12:00 AM EST to December 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Keweenaw forecast zone
Coordinates
47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ontonagon

When
December 18, 12:00 AM EST to December 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Ontonagon forecast zone
Coordinates
46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Houghton

When
December 18, 12:00 AM EST to December 19, 8:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Houghton forecast zone
Coordinates
46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575363, 5575364, 5578774, 5578775, 5578776.