Michigan, 2000

Heavy Snow and High Wind in Michigan, December 4 to 5, 2000

December 4 to 5, 2000 · NWS DTX · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

A clipper low pressure system passed north of the Great Lakes, bringing light snow and windy conditions to much of southeast Michigan. Snowfall amounts were only around an inch or less.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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 clipper low pressure system passed north of the Great Lakes, bringing light snow and windy conditions to much of southeast Michigan. Snowfall amounts were only around an inch or less. However, the snow and blowing snow quickly melted and then refroze on area roads, producing unusually dangerous driving conditions. The morning commute became a serious mess, with dozens of accidents. An Ypsilanti man was killed, and another injured, when their car slid off a road and overturned. Two serious injuries resulted from a rear-end collision near Kinde in Huron County. Interstate 75 and US 23 in Monroe County both suffered long backups, as tractor-trailers were unable to gain enough traction to move. Several school districts in Monroe County were forced to cancel classes.This would prove to be just the opening act in a month-long onslaught of winter weather.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

High Wind, Midland

When
December 4, 6:00 PM EST to December 5, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Midland forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.647, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A bus barn and pavilion, both under construction, were reduced to lumber by strong wind gusts sometime during the night. Wind gusts around 35 mph were enough to topple the structures, being built in the city of Midland for the Calvary Baptist Academy.

Heavy Snow, Huron

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Huron forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.910, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tuscola

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Tuscola forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.491, -83.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sanilac

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Sanilac forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.443, -82.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Genesee

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lapeer

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Lapeer forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, St. Clair

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
St. Clair forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.931, -82.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Livingston

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Oakland

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Oakland forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Macomb

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Macomb forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washtenaw

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Washtenaw forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lenawee

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Lenawee forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Monroe

When
December 5, 1:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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: 5177509, 5177449, 5177497, 5177498, 5177499, 5177500, 5177501, 5177502, 5177503, 5177504, 5177505, 5177506, 5177507, 5177508.