Heavy Snow, Tuscola
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Tuscola forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.491, -83.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 19 to 20, 1996
The biggest snowstorm of the season for much of the area hit on the first day of spring. Low pressure tracked northeast from the Gulf of Mexico to western Pennsylvania, with rain spreading north across southeast Michigan during the evening on the 19th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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 DTX wrote it up.
The biggest snowstorm of the season for much of the area hit on the first day of spring. Low pressure tracked northeast from the Gulf of Mexico to western Pennsylvania, with rain spreading north across southeast Michigan during the evening on the 19th. The rain changed to snow before midnight, then continued into the afternoon on the 20th. An accumulation of 8.4 inches were measured at Flint, with 6.9 inches Ann Arbor and 5.8 inches at Detroit. Strong winds created drifts as high as 3 feet in some areas. The combination of strong winds and heavy wet snow resulted in power outages to 173,000 homes and businesses in southeast Michigan. In Detroit, the power outages were blamed for keeping many schools closed for 3 days.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Sanilac
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Sanilac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.443, -82.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Genesee
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Genesee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lapeer
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lapeer forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, St. Clair
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- St. Clair forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.931, -82.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Livingston
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Oakland
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Oakland forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Macomb
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Macomb forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Washtenaw
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washtenaw forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wayne
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Lenawee
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lenawee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Monroe
- When
- March 19, 10:00 PM EST to March 20, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.921, -83.494 (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
- Winter Storm in Ohio, March 19 to 21, 1996
- Winter Storm in Illinois, March 19 to 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 19 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Maryland, March 19, 1996
- High Wind in New York, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, March 19 to 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in New York, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in Vermont, March 19 to 20, 1996
- High Wind in New Jersey, March 19, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, March 19 to 20, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, March 19, 1996
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5540120, 5540121, 5540122, 5540123, 5540124, 5540125, 5540126, 5540127, 5540128, 5540129, 5540130, 5540131.