Michigan, 2001

Winter Storm in Michigan, February 10, 2001

February 10, 2001 · NWS APX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system moved northeast of the Great Lakes during the evening of the 9th. Strong northwest winds behind this system brought much colder air and lake effect snow to much of northern Michigan the night of the 9th and through the early morning hours of the 10th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 strong low pressure system moved northeast of the Great Lakes during the evening of the 9th. Strong northwest winds behind this system brought much colder air and lake effect snow to much of northern Michigan the night of the 9th and through the early morning hours of the 10th. Portions of Charlevoix, Antrim and Kalkaska counties received 12-hour snowfall totals of 6 inches by the morning of the 10th. Northwest winds at 20 to 30 MPH also brought considerable blowing and drifting snow as well as wind chills of 20 to 30 degrees below zero to this area.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Gaylord, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 10, 4:10 AM EST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 4:10 AM EST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
410 AM EST SAT FEB 10 2001

THE LATEST APX 88D SHOWS LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS AFFECTING MUCH OF
NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN... ALONG WITH PORTIONS
OF EAST UPPER MICHIGAN. THE LATEST SURFACE CHART SHOWS A LOW
PRESSURE CENTER NOW LOCATED NORTHEAST OF LAKE ONTARIO... WITH A
LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND
PORTIONS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN THIS PERIOD
WILL BE FOCUSED ON WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES AND LINGERING LAKE
EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS.

MODEL DATA WAS IN GOOD AGREEMENT DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS... WITH
SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW DECREASING THIS AFTERNOON AND
WITH SUBSIDENCE AND DRY AIR FILTERING INTO THE REGION THIS EVENING
AND SUNDAY.

TODAY...THE SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE ONTO THE NORTHEAST ATLANTIC COAST
BY 12Z THIS MORNING...WITH AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH LINGERING
OVER THE STRAITS REGION. AROUND 18Z...SURFACE RIDGING WILL THEN
BEGIN TO BUILD INTO THE WESTERN LAKES REGION. AT UPPER LEVELS...500
MB TROUGHING AND ASSOCIATED CYCLONIC FLOW WILL AFFECT EXTREME
NORTHERN LOWER AND EAST UPPER MICHIGAN INTO THIS AFTERNOON. 900/700
MB MOISTURE WILL BE AROUND 70 PERCENT ACROSS THE STRAITS AREA AND
EAST UPPER MICHIGAN THIS MORNING...BEFORE DIMINISHING TO AROUND 60 PERCENT
AFTER 18Z. 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL BE BETWEEN -22C AND -23C INTO
THIS EVENING WITH 1000/850 MEAN WINDS FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE LATEST
MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW INVERSION HEIGHTS AROUND 4500 FEET OVER EAST
UPPER AND 5000 FEET OVER NORTHERN LOWER INTO THIS AFTERNOON. MODEL
SOUNDINGS SHOW LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE THIS MORNING TO EXTEND
INTO TEMPERATURE PROFILES BETWEEN -12C AND -15C INTO THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS WILL HELP KEEP GOOD SNOWFLAKE PRODUCTION INTO THIS AFTERNOON.
EXPECT ANOTHER 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE OVER NORTHWEST LOWER
INTO THIS AFTERNOON AND 2 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS EAST UPPER. THEREFORE
WILL CONTINUE WITH WINTER HEADLINES FOR THE LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE
SUPERIOR SNOW BELTS TODAY. WILL GO WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS OR
FLURRIES ACROSS THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA.

TONIGHT...850/500 MB MOISTURE DROPS TO UNDER 50 PERCENT ACROSS THE
ENTIRE FORECAST AREA BY MIDNIGHT... WITH SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL
ANTI CYCLONIC FLOW BECOMING THE MAJOR SYNOPTIC FEATURES. HOWEVER...
WILL KEEP LAKE EFFECT FLURRIES/SNOW SHOWERS IN THE LAKE MICHIGAN AND
LAKE SUPERIOR SNOW BELTS DURING THE EVENING AS 1000/850 MB WINDS
REMAIN AT 330 DEGREES...900/700 MB MOISTURE REMAINS AROUND 50
PERCENT AND 850 TEMPERATURES ARE AROUND -22C. WILL FORECAST SKIES
BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY MOST ZONES OVERNIGHT AS 850/500 MB MOISTURE
DROPS TO UNDER 40 PERCENT AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE GREAT LAKES INTO
THE EVENING... WITH UPPER LEVEL RIDGING SUPPLING ADDITIONAL
SUBSIDENCE TO THE REGION...THEREFORE WILL GO WITH PARTLY SUNNY SKIES ACROSS
THE FORECAST AREA. ON SUNDAY NIGHT... A SURFACE LOW MOVES INTO
WISCONSIN WITH A 500 MB TROUGH MOVING INTO WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN.
850/500 MB MOISTURE INCREASES TO AROUND 80 PERCENT OVER NORTHWEST
LOWER AND EAST UPPER MICHIGAN BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z MONDAY. 850/500 MB
QVECTOR CONVERGENCE IN ADVANCE OF THE SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
INCREASES OVER THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY. WILL
MENTION A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS FOR NORTHWEST LOWER AND EAST UPPER
MICHIGAN OVERNIGHT.

.APX...WINTER STORM WARNING...TODAY...MIZ019-021-022-027-028.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...TODAY...MIZ008-029.

SWR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Antrim

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Antrim forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Charlevoix

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Kalkaska

When
February 10, 9:00 AM EST to 11:00 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

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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, February 2001

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: 5235382, 5235383, 5235384.