Michigan, 1998

Flood and Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 9, 1998

March 9, 1998 · NWS DTX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system moved northeast from the southern Plains, reaching the lower Ohio Valley on the evening of the 8th, then crossing Ohio and Lake Erie into Ontario on the 9th. Over two inches of rain fell on parts of far southeast Michigan on the night of the 8th into the morning of the 9th.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 DTX wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system moved northeast from the southern Plains, reaching the lower Ohio Valley on the evening of the 8th, then crossing Ohio and Lake Erie into Ontario on the 9th. This system brought a multitude of weather events to southeast Michigan.Over two inches of rain fell on parts of far southeast Michigan on the night of the 8th into the morning of the 9th. Some of the higher rainfall totals were 2.16 inches in Morenci and 2.1 inches in Allen Park. The rain caused some minor urban flooding in Wayne County, where a few streets were flooded. In Allen Park, 14 homes experienced some flooding.Four to six inches of snow fell in Bay County on the 9th. The highest snowfall total, six inches, was recorded seven miles west of Linwood, near the community of Crump.Strong north winds occurred during the storm's closest approach on the 9th. A few trees were downed along the Tuscola County shoreline, seven miles northwest of Akron, as these winds came off of Saginaw Bay. Later in the morning, the wind downed power lines in Flint, Burton, Davison, Otisville, and Swartz Creek.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 flood, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Wayne

When
March 9, 6:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Coordinates
42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bay

When
March 9, 9:00 AM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Bay forecast zone
Coordinates
43.721, -83.942 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Tuscola

When
March 9, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Tuscola forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
43.491, -83.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Genesee

When
March 9, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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, March 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: 5633059, 5633060, 5633061, 5633062.