Winter Storm, Ottawa
- When
- December 21, 7:00 AM EST to December 24, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Michigan, December 21 to 24, 1999
Lake effect snow began after passage of a cold front early in the day on Tuesday, December 21st. Light snow developed across all of western lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 21st, and became heavier on the 22nd, after a trough of low pressure moved through.
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
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 GRR wrote it up.
Lake effect snow began after passage of a cold front early in the day on Tuesday, December 21st. Light snow developed across all of western lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 21st, and became heavier on the 22nd, after a trough of low pressure moved through. The heaviest snow fell between 6 a.m. on the 22nd, to the late evening hours of the 23rd. The following is a list of maximum storm total snowfalls from the 21st through the 24th: North Central Van Buren County 16 inchesSouth Central Allegan County 15 inchesSoutheast Ottawa County 12 inchesSouthwest Kent County 12 inches
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Kent
- When
- December 21, 7:00 AM EST to December 24, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Kent forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Allegan
- When
- December 21, 7:00 AM EST to December 24, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Allegan forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Van Buren
- When
- December 21, 7:00 AM EST to December 24, 12:00 AM 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
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in California, December 21 to 22, 1999
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in Alaska, December 21 to 22, 1999
- High Wind in California, December 21 to 22, 1999
- Ice Storm in Alabama, December 21, 1999
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 21, 1999
- Wildfire in California, December 21 to 27, 1999
- Wildfire in California, December 21 to 23, 1999
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 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: 5720326, 5720327, 5720328, 5720329.