Heavy Snow in Michigan, November 22, 2000

A low pressure system slowly moved across the northern Great Lakes region during the evening of the 19th. Southwest winds off of Lake Michigan caused lake enhanced snow to develop across northwest Lower Michigan. These snows persisted through the night. By morning, 12 hour snowfall totals were in excess of 6 inches across northern Manistee, northern Wexford, southern Leelanau and all of Benzie and Grand Traverse counties. The heaviest snowfall occurred across Grand Traverse and western Benzie counties, where 8 to 12 inches had fallen by morning.During the day on the 20th, the low pressure system moved east of the region. North to northwest winds on the back site of this low brought cold arctic air to the region. This caused a prolonged period of lake effect snow across northwest Lower Michigan. By the early morning hours on the 21st, 24 hour snowfall totals ranged from 10 to 15 inches across portions of Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Wexford, Antrim, Kalkaska and Missaukee counties. During the day on the 21st, lake effect snows pushed farther inland across northwest Lower Michigan. By the evening of the 21st, 12 hour snowfall amounts totaled 8 to 10 inches across much of Antrim and northern Kalkaska counties (these areas had received 20 to 25 inches of snowfall in the 48 hour period ending on the the evening of the 21st). Isolated heavy lake effect snow showers had also produced 8 hour snowfall amounts of 6 to 7 inches across southern Cheboygan county as well as up to 8 inches in localized areas across northern Chippewa county. Late in the evening through the early morning hours of the the 22nd, around 6 inches of additional snow also fell across Charlevoix and Otsego counties. During the day on the 22nd, the heavy lake effect snows had come to an end.