Heavy Snow, Oceana
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Oceana forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 10 to 12, 1997
A lake effect snow storm tied up all activities for over 3 days. Some schools closed early on Friday, the 10th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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
- 14
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 lake effect snow storm tied up all activities for over 3 days. Some schools closed early on Friday, the 10th. Numerous shift workers were told not to report for 2nd and 3rd shifts. Heavy snow continued through Saturday and tapered off to flurries on Sunday morning. All areas reported new snowfall of 12 inches or more. In central Allegan county the snow was measured at 28 inches on Friday evening and 40 inches by Saturday afternoon. Schools were used as emergency shelters for stranded motorists throughout the affected area. Secondary roads across all of Central Lower and Southwest Lower Michigan were blocked from Friday night into Saturday and interstates were also closed for a few hours late Friday into Saturday. Accidents occurred at the rate of 50 to 100 per county per day from the 10th through the 12th. Some secondary roads remained plugged on Sunday but were open by Monday morning.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Muskegon
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Muskegon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Ottawa
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Kent
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Kent forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Allegan
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Allegan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Barry
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Barry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Van Buren
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Van Buren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Kalamazoo
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Kalamazoo forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.245, -85.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Calhoun
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Calhoun forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.247, -85.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Jackson
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -84.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Berrien
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Berrien forecast zone
Heavy Snow, Cass
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cass forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.915, -85.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, St. Joseph
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- St. Joseph forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.914, -85.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Branch
- When
- January 10, 2:00 AM EST to January 12, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Branch forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.916, -85.059 (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
- Cold in Ohio, January 10 to 19, 1997
- Cold in Illinois, January 10 to 11, 1997
- Cold in Illinois, January 10, 1997
- Storm Surge in Maine, January 10, 1997
- Winter Storm in Alabama, January 10, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 10 to 12, 1997
- Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 10 to 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, January 10, 1997
- Cold in Missouri, January 10 to 13, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 10 to 14, 1997
- Storm Surge in New Hampshire, January 10, 1997
- Cold in Pennsylvania, January 10 to 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5590720, 5590721, 5590722, 5590723, 5590724, 5590725, 5590726, 5590727, 5590728, 5590729, 5590730, 5590731, 5590732, 5590733.