Michigan, 2000

Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 22 to 23, 2000

December 22 to 23, 2000 · NWS APX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A low pressure system moved east across Northern Michigan during the early morning hours of the 22nd. Ahead of this low, southwest winds off of Lake Michigan, combined with very cold air, caused heavy Lake effect snowfall across northern Emmet county and around the straits of Mackinac.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 APX wrote it up.

A low pressure system moved east across Northern Michigan during the early morning hours of the 22nd. Ahead of this low, southwest winds off of Lake Michigan, combined with very cold air, caused heavy Lake effect snowfall across northern Emmet county and around the straits of Mackinac. From the evening of the 21st, through the early morning of the 22nd, around 6 inches of snow fell across this area. During the morning and afternoon on the 22nd, the low moved into the eastern Great Lakes region, north to northwest winds behind this system caused heavy lake effect snow across portions of northwest Lower Michigan. By early morning on the 23rd, snowfall totaled around 6 inches across much of Leelanau county, with 6 to 10 inches across much of Charlevoix, Antrim and Kalkaska counties.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Emmet

When
December 22, 10:30 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Emmet forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.588, -84.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cheboygan

When
December 22, 10:30 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Cheboygan forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.473, -84.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Leelanau

When
December 22, 4:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Leelanau forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.152, -86.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Charlevoix

When
December 22, 4:00 PM EST to December 23, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Antrim

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Antrim forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kalkaska

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2000

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: 5178142, 5178143, 5178144, 5178507, 5178508, 5178509.