Michigan, 1997

Winter Storm in Michigan, March 13 to 16, 1997

March 13 to 16, 1997 · NWS MQT · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system moved northeast through Iowa, southeast Wisconsin and northern Lower Michigan on the 14th and 15th. Heavy snow began on the afternoon of the 13th across south central Upper Michigan and overspread the entire region overnight.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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 strong low pressure system moved northeast through Iowa, southeast Wisconsin and northern Lower Michigan on the 14th and 15th. Heavy snow began on the afternoon of the 13th across south central Upper Michigan and overspread the entire region overnight. The snow continued until the morning of the 15th. Lake enhancement with northeast winds across Lake Superior, greatly increased snow totals over parts of northern Upper Michigan. The result was 32.4 inches of new snow at the Marquette County Airport. In a 24 hour period between 7 pm on the 13th and 7 pm on the 14th, the airport received 28 inches of snow, which broke the 24 hour snowfall record of 25.4 inches set on March 18-19, 1986. The storm also produced a record snow depth of 63 inches at the Marquette County Airport which exceeded the previous record depth of 59 inches recorded on March 13, 1976. Other locations that exceeded 20 inches included Phoenix in Keweenaw County with 29 inches, Herman in Baraga County with 25 inches and Shingleton in Alger County with 21 inches. Other snow totals included... Alger CountyMunising.... 19.5 inches Baraga CountyLanse........16 inchesPelkie.......14 inchesWatton.......12 inches Delta CountyBark River...13 inchesGogebic CountyIronwood.....18 inchesWatersmeet...18 inchesHoughton CountyCalumet......10 inchesIron CountyPaint Lake...14 inchesLuce CountyTwo Heart....18 inchesMarquette CountyChampion.....18 inchesGwinn........15 inches Ontonagon CountyBruce Crossing.. 16 inches

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Keweenaw

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Keweenaw forecast zone
Coordinates
47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ontonagon

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Ontonagon forecast zone
Coordinates
46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Houghton

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Houghton forecast zone
Coordinates
46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Baraga

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Baraga forecast zone
Coordinates
46.700, -88.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marquette

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Marquette forecast zone
Coordinates
46.663, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Alger

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Alger forecast zone
Coordinates
46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Luce

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Luce forecast zone
Coordinates
46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gogebic

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Gogebic forecast zone
Coordinates
46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Iron

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Coordinates
46.209, -88.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dickinson

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Dickinson forecast zone
Coordinates
46.009, -87.870 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Menominee

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Menominee forecast zone
Coordinates
45.525, -87.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Delta

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Delta forecast zone
Coordinates
45.792, -86.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Schoolcraft

When
March 13, 6:00 PM EST to March 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Schoolcraft forecast zone
Coordinates
46.043, -86.177 (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, March 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: 5589983, 5589984, 5589985, 5589986, 5589987, 5589988, 5589989, 5589990, 5589991, 5589992, 5589993, 5589994, 5589995.