Heavy Snow, Mason
- When
- December 5, 7:00 PM EST to December 7, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Mason forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.956, -86.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 5 to 7, 2000
The combination of an arctic cold front that moved through late on the 4th of December, and an Alberta Clipper passing north of Michigan on the 6th, resulted in heavy lake effect snowfall. The majority of the snow fell between the afternoon hours of the 6th through the early morning hours of the 7th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
- 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 GRR wrote it up.
The combination of an arctic cold front that moved through late on the 4th of December, and an Alberta Clipper passing north of Michigan on the 6th, resulted in heavy lake effect snowfall. The majority of the snow fell between the afternoon hours of the 6th through the early morning hours of the 7th. The heaviest band of snow fell just west of the US-131 corridor from western Mason county south to western Van Buren county. 8 to 12 inches of snow fell in about a 15 mile wide band across that area. The following is a list of snowfall occurring primarily between 7 a.m. on December 6th through 6 a.m. on December 7th:Allegan county: 9-11 inches; Mason county: 8-10 inches; Ottawa county: 6-10 inches; Oceana county: 6-8 inches; Muskegon county: 4-8 inches; Van Buren county: 5-7 inches; Kent county: 5-6 inches; Grandville (Kent county): 6 inches; NWS Grand Rapids (Kent county): 5.5 inches.Additional lighter snowfall accumulations through the period: Newaygo county: 2-4 inches; Barry county: 1-3 inches; Kalamazoocounty: 2 inches; Calhoun county: trace to 1 inch; Lansing (Ingham county): trace to 1 inch.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Oceana
- When
- December 5, 7:00 PM EST to December 7, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Oceana forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Allegan
- When
- December 5, 7:00 PM EST to December 7, 7:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Ottawa
- When
- December 5, 7:00 PM EST to December 7, 7:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Kent
- When
- December 5, 7:00 PM EST to December 7, 7:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Van Buren
- When
- December 5, 7:00 PM EST to December 7, 7:00 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
- 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: 5168178, 5168179, 5168180, 5168181, 5168182, 5168183.