Lake-Effect Snow, Allegan
- When
- December 31, 7:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Allegan forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 31, 1998
Lake effect snow showers moved onshore across portions of western Lower Michigan on the morning of Thursday, December 31st, 1998. Snow showers persist through midnight.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
- 5
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.
Lake effect snow showers moved onshore across portions of western Lower Michigan on the morning of Thursday, December 31st, 1998. Snow showers persist through midnight. As of late Thursday evening before midnight, snowfall totals averaged 3 to 5 inches across the listed counties. Several minor traffic accidents were attributed to hazardous road conditions during the late afternoon and evening hours. Specific snowfall reports included 6 inches in Bloomingdale (Van Buren County), 4 inches in Allegan and Grandville (Kent County), 3.5 inches in Holland, 3 inches in Grand Haven and Hastings, and 2.8 inches at the Kent County International Airport in Grand Rapids.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Lake-Effect Snow, Barry
- When
- December 31, 7:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Barry forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Kent
- When
- December 31, 7:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Kent forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Ottawa
- When
- December 31, 7:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Van Buren
- When
- December 31, 7:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Van Buren forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- 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
- Rip Current in Puerto Rico, December 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 31, 1998
- Drought in New Jersey, December 31, 1998
- Heat in New Jersey, December 31, 1998
- Drought in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 31, 1998
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 31, 1998
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 31, 1998
- Heat in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1998
- Drought in Maryland, December 31, 1998
- Drought in Delaware, December 31, 1998
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 1998
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5678069, 5678070, 5678071, 5678072, 5678073.