Michigan, 1998

Ice Storm in Michigan, January 4 to 5, 1998

January 4 to 5, 1998 · NWS MQT · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A band of freezing rain affecting south central and eastern Upper Michigan left a half inch layer of ice on most objects and the ground. The ice cause minor power outages near Menominee.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 band of freezing rain affecting south central and eastern Upper Michigan left a half inch layer of ice on most objects and the ground. The ice cause minor power outages near Menominee.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Delta

When
January 4, 8:00 PM EST to January 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Delta forecast zone
Coordinates
45.792, -86.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Menominee

When
January 4, 8:00 PM EST to January 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Menominee forecast zone
Coordinates
45.525, -87.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Schoolcraft

When
January 4, 8:00 PM EST to January 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Schoolcraft forecast zone
Coordinates
46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Luce

When
January 4, 8:00 PM EST to January 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Luce forecast zone
Coordinates
46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5628702, 5628703, 5628704, 5628705.