Ice Storm in Michigan, February 24 to 25, 2001

Name: Ice Storm in Michigan, February 24 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-24T20:30
End: 2001-02-25T08:00
Location: Michigan

February 24 to 25, 2001 · NWS APX · 25 events in 25 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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: 25

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 developed over the southern Plains during the the day on the 24th. During the evening of the 24th and through the early morning hours of the 25th, the low moved northeast into central Wisconsin. Warm, moist air surged northward into the northern Great Lakes Region ahead of this storm system. This allowed for widespread rainfall to develop across the Great Lakes. Surface temperatures across northern Lower and eastern Upper Michigan, however, remained below freezing throughout much of the period. This set the stage for freezing rain. Across northern Lower Michigan, the freezing rain began during the evening of the 24th. By late in the evening, a quarter of an inch of ice had accumulated on exposed surfaces. Across eastern Upper Michigan, the freezing rain began late in the evening on the 24th, and continued through the early morning hours of the 25th. By the morning of the 25th, ice had accumulated to between and a quarter and a half inch on exposed surfaces. As the storm system moved northeast across Wisconsin during the morning of the 25th, a surface warm front moved north across Northern Michigan. This quickly allowed surface temperatures to rise well above freezing, thereby rapidly melting the ice on the trees. Widespread tree damage and power outages did not occur with this event, as most trees and power lines were able to sustain the weight of the ice until it melted. Many area roads, however, were extremely icy.

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 24, 8:00 PM EST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 8:00 PM EST, 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
800 PM EST SAT FEB 24 2001

UPDATED THE NRN LWR MI FORECASTS TO EXPAND ICE STORM WARNING SOUTH
TO THE M-55 COUNTIES. REPORTS OF BETWEEN A TENTH AND EIGHTH OF AN
INCH OF ICE HAVE BEEN RECEIVED ACROSS AREAS SOUTH OF M-72...WITH
STILL A LARGE SWATH OF RAIN ON THE WAY FROM THE SOUTH.

DEWPOINTS ARE STILL IN THE MID/UPPER 20S ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF
NRN LWR MI. REGION OF UPPER LEVEL CONFLUENCE/RRQ JET DYNAMICS WITH
THE JET STREAK TO OUR NE IS STILL CLOSE ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR A
DRY...EASTERLY ISALLOBARIC WIND COMPONENT AT THE SFC. THIS EFFECT IS
ESPECIALLY NOTED IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES (EAST OF THE HIGHER
TERRAIN). TEMPS/DEWPOINTS IN SW PORTIONS OF NRN LWR ARE SLIGHTLY
WARMER GIVEN THE DOWNSLOPING EFFECTS OF A SE WIND.

EXPECT AT LEAST 4-6 MORE HOURS OF FREEZING RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
COUNTIES BEFORE THE WINDS FINALLY TURN MORE SOUTHERLY WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE WARM FRONT. BY THIS TIME (06Z)...THE INFLUENCE FROM
THE NRN JET STREAK WILL BE REPLACED BY STRONG LFQ UPPER DIVERGENCE/
SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL INFLOW VIA THE APPROACHING SRN JET MAX. FREEZING
RAIN WILL LINGER A WHILE LONGER TONIGHT TOWARD THE NORTH...
ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS. OVER THE NORTHERN AREAS...
HAVE CONTINUED WITH THE ICE STORM WARNING.

PRECIPITATION IS STILL MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW/SLEET ACROSS
EASTERN UPPER MI. KAPX 00Z SOUNDING WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE...HOWEVER
INDICATIONS WERE THAT ALL LAYERS HAD STILL REMAINED BELOW FREEZING.
DELAYED THE ONSET OF FREEZING RAIN IN THE NORTHERN AREAS BASED ON
THESE LATEST TRENDS. HOWEVER GIVEN THE SURGE OF WARM/MOIST
(THETA-E/THETA-W) ADVECTION WITH THE SURGE OF PRECIP CURRENTLY
MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL/NRN LWR MI...EXPECT THE TRANSITION TO LIQUID
TO OCCUR IN EASTERN UPPER MI AROUND OR JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.APX...ICE STORM WARNING...TONIGHT...
        MIZ008-015>036.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...TONIGHT...
        MIZ041-042.

HURLEY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

25 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Gladwin

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Gladwin forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.991, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Arenac

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Arenac forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.043, -83.747 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Manistee

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Manistee forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.238, -86.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Wexford

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Wexford forecast zone
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 44.338, -85.578 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Missaukee

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Missaukee forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.337, -85.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Roscommon

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Roscommon forecast zone
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 44.336, -84.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Ogemaw

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Ogemaw forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.335, -84.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Iosco

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Iosco forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.301, -83.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Benzie

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Benzie forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.617, -86.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Grand Traverse

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Grand Traverse forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.716, -85.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Leelanau

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Leelanau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.152, -86.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Kalkaska

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Crawford

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.684, -84.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Oscoda

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Oscoda forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.682, -84.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Alcona

When: February 24, 8:30 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Alcona forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.712, -83.344 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Otsego

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Otsego forecast zone
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 45.021, -84.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Montmorency

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Montmorency forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.028, -84.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Alpena

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Alpena forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.064, -83.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Charlevoix

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Ice Storm, Emmet

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Emmet forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.588, -84.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Cheboygan

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Cheboygan forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.473, -84.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Presque Isle

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Presque Isle forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.398, -83.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Antrim

When: February 24, 10:30 PM EST to February 25, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Antrim forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Mackinac

When: February 25, 3:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Mackinac forecast zone
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)

Ice Storm, Chippewa

When: February 25, 3:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5235386, 5235387, 5235388, 5235389, 5235390, 5235391, 5235392, 5235393, 5235394, 5235395, 5235396, 5235397, 5235398, 5235399, 5235400, 5233672, 5233673, 5233674, 5233675, 5233676, 5233677, 5233678, 5235401, 5233679, 5233680.