Ice Storm, Houghton
- When
- April 4, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Houghton forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Michigan, April 4, 1999
A low pressure center from northern Minnesota moved east to northern Lake Michigan with a stationary front remaining just south of Upper Michigan. Warmer air aloft and freezing temperatures at the surface combined to produce a period of freezing rain across north central Upper Michigan.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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 low pressure center from northern Minnesota moved east to northern Lake Michigan with a stationary front remaining just south of Upper Michigan. Warmer air aloft and freezing temperatures at the surface combined to produce a period of freezing rain across north central Upper Michigan. Ice accumulations of around half an inch thick were reported by NWS electronic technicians working on equipment in Houghton and Copper Harbor. Local power companies reported outages due to tree branches breaking and falling across power lines. Police departments reported numerous minor traffic accidents due to slick roads.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Keweenaw
- When
- April 4, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Keweenaw forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 47.283, -88.212 (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
- Lightning Strike in Virginia, April 4, 1999
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, April 4 to 5, 1999
- Tornado in Texas, April 4, 1999
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 4, 1999
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 4, 1999
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 4, 1999
- Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, April 4 to 5, 1999
- Tornado in Virginia, April 4, 1999
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 4, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Arkansas, April 4, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 4, 1999
- Winter Storm in California, April 4 to 6, 1999
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 1999
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: 5695843, 5695844.