Heavy Snow in Michigan, October 26 to 27, 1997

An early season winter storm which tracked south of Michigan, across Indiana and Ohio, produced a band of heavy, wet snow across much of southwest, south central, and central Lower Michigan. This was the first measurable snowfall of the season and because of significant foliage still left on the trees, limbs and branches were more vulnerable to bending and snapping under the added weight of the heavy snow. This resulted in numerous power outages and reports of property damage from downed trees. At the height of the storm, which occurred late Sunday evening, October 26th into early Monday morning, October 27th, power outages affected 333,000 utility customers statewide. Of these, approximately 195,000 occurred in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area alone. Total property damage was estimated at $1.2 Million area-wide. Of this total, approximately $500,000 occurred in Kent County, $275,000 in Kalamazoo County, and $150,000 in the Lansing metropolitan area. The hardest hit areas included the northwest and northeast sections of the city of Grand Rapids, northern Kent County including Sparta and Rockford, and the city of Kalamazoo. Because of widespread power outages, some of which lasted between 36 and 72 hours, the American Red Cross opened emergency shelters to take care of senior citizens and others vulnerable to the cold in Grand Rapids/Kent County (3), Barry County (1), Kalamazoo (1), and Battle Creek (1). The storm closed many area schools and businesses on Monday, October 27th. Many remained closed on October 28th due to power still being out. Many weather-related traffic accidents were reported during the storm, with many cars in ditches and skidding off the road. Traffic lights were out from power loss and fallen trees blocked several roads in hardest hit areas of northern Kent County. Large tree limbs falling on vehicles resulted in significant property damage, much of which was not available in damage cost estimates. No injuries were directly related to the storm, however several injuries and one fatality occurred in traffic accidents judged to be weather-related. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 2 to 8 inches. The heaviest snow fell in a band from northeast Ottawa County across northwest Kent County, western Montcalm County, eastern Mecosta County, into eastern Osceola County. Snowfall across the Grand Rapids metropolitan area ranged from 2.4 inches at the Kent County International Airport, southeast of downtown, to 8.0 inches in the Sparta and Peach Ridge areas in the northwest quarter of Kent County. Other reports included 8 inches in Howard City (Montcalm County), 5 inches in Kalamazoo and Big Rapids, 4 inches in Battle Creek and downtown Grand Rapids, and 3 inches in Lansing.