Michigan, 1997

Winter Storm in Michigan, December 24 to 25, 1997

December 24 to 25, 1997 · NWS GRR · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A winter storm tracked northeast from southern Illinois across Indiana and southeast Lower Michigan. The storm weakened as it moved across the state into southern Ontario.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
8

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 GRR wrote it up.

A winter storm tracked northeast from southern Illinois across Indiana and southeast Lower Michigan. The storm weakened as it moved across the state into southern Ontario. A mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain spread across the mentioned counties after 4:00pm EST on Christmas Eve. The mixed precipitation was heavy at the onset and resulted in numerous traffic accidents from Kent and Ottawa counties northward. Three people were injured in weather-related traffic accidents in southern Kent County during the late afternoon hours. Snowfall totals ranged from 1.5 to 4 inches in the mention counties. Snowfall reports included 3.5 inches in Muskegon, 3.4 inches in Fremont, 3 inches in Grand Haven, Cedar Springs, Big Rapids, and Edmore, 2.8 inches in Sparta, and 1.3 inches at the National Weather Service Office in Grand Rapids.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Ottawa

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Ottawa forecast zone
Coordinates
43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kent

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Coordinates
43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Muskegon

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Muskegon forecast zone
Coordinates
43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Montcalm

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Montcalm forecast zone
Coordinates
43.311, -85.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gratiot

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Gratiot forecast zone
Coordinates
43.293, -84.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oceana

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Oceana forecast zone
Coordinates
43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Newaygo

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Newaygo forecast zone
Coordinates
43.554, -85.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mecosta

When
December 24, 4:00 PM EST to December 25, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Mecosta forecast zone
Coordinates
43.641, -85.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 1997

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: 5624382, 5624383, 5624384, 5624385, 5624386, 5624387, 5624388, 5624389.