Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, November 11 to 12, 1997

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, November 11 to 12, 1997
Start: 1997-11-11T21:00
End: 1997-11-12T10:00
Location: Michigan

November 11 to 12, 1997 · NWS GRR · 23 events in 23 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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 cold front moved across western Lower Michigan during the early morning hours of November 12th, resulting in a lake-enhanced snow event which began late evening, Tuesday, November 11th. In general, 1 to 5 inches of snow fell across western and southern Lower Michigan, with 3 to 5 inch amounts confined to Lake, Ottawa, Kent, Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Ingham, and Kalamazoo Counties. The snow-covered and icy roads caught many overnight and early morning motorists by surprise. Slippery conditions are believed to have contributed to a seven-car pile-up on the northbound span of the U.S. 31 drawbridge late Tuesday night in Grand Haven. Two injuries were reported. The snow initially melted on road surfaces overnight, then froze early Wednesday morning as temperatures fell below freezing. This resulted in extremely icy conditions and an unusually high number of minor accidents, which included many slide-offs into ditches. Accidents with injuries were reported in Battle Creek, St. Joseph and Cass Counties, Hillsdale County (a rollover accident), and Branch, Mecosta, Osceola, and Newaygo Counties. Snow reports included 5.0 inches in Grandville, 4.8 inches at the National Weather Service Office in southeast Grand Rapids, 4.5 inches in Hudsonville, 3.6-4.0 inches in Allegan, 3.2 inches in Hastings, 3.0 inches in Oshtemo, 3.0 inches in East Lansing, and 1.5 inches in Battle Creek.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Kalamazoo

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Kalamazoo forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.245, -85.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Calhoun

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.247, -85.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Jackson

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.249, -84.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Berrien

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Berrien forecast zone

Lake-Effect Snow, Cass

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.915, -85.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, St. Joseph

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: St. Joseph forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.914, -85.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Branch

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Branch forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.916, -85.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Hillsdale

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Hillsdale forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.888, -84.593 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Osceola

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Osceola forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.990, -85.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Oceana

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Oceana forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Newaygo

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Newaygo forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.554, -85.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Mecosta

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Mecosta forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.641, -85.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Mason

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Mason forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.956, -86.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Lake

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.990, -85.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Muskegon

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Muskegon forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Ottawa

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Kent

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Kent forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Ionia

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Ionia forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.945, -85.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Allegan

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Allegan forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Barry

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Barry forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Eaton

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Eaton forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.596, -84.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Ingham

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Ingham forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.597, -84.373 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Van Buren

When: November 11, 9:00 PM EST to November 12, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lake-Effect Snow: Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, November 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: 5623890, 5623891, 5623892, 5623893, 5623894, 5623895, 5623896, 5623897, 5623898, 5623899, 5623900, 5623901, 5624378, 5624379, 5624380, 5624381, 5626237, 5626238, 5626239, 5626240, 5626241, 5626242, 5626243.