Lake-Effect Snow, Ottawa
- When
- November 3, 2:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, November 3, 1997
The first lake effect snow event of the season brought very localized heavy wet snow to the immediate lake shore communities from Grand Haven and Ferrysburg south into far western Van Buren County. Accumulating snow only extended about 10-12 miles inland across western portions of Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren Counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- 3
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.
The first lake effect snow event of the season brought very localized heavy wet snow to the immediate lake shore communities from Grand Haven and Ferrysburg south into far western Van Buren County. Accumulating snow only extended about 10-12 miles inland across western portions of Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren Counties. Most locations from Grand Haven south to South Haven received 2-3 inches of snow, but a nearly stationary snow band which developed over southwest Allegan County resulted in snow accumulations of 8-10 inches in both Glenn and Ganges, along and west of Interstate 196, in Ganges Township. The weight of the heavy, wet snow caused tree limbs to snap, which resulted in downed power lines around 7:00 AM in Ferrysburg and Spring Lake Township. Power loss affected 557 customers of Consumers Energy in that area. Snow reports included 2 inches in Holland and 1.5 inches in South Haven.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Lake-Effect Snow, Allegan
- When
- November 3, 2:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Allegan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Van Buren
- When
- November 3, 2:00 AM EST to 3:00 PM 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
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5624374, 5624375, 5624376.