Winter Storm, Chippewa
- When
- February 9, 8:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
Winter Storm in Michigan, February 9, 2001
A strong low pressure system moved into the Great Lakes Region from the central plains throughout the day on the 9th. Ahead of this system, a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain developed across eastern Upper Michigan late in the evening of the 8th.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 into the Great Lakes Region from the central plains throughout the day on the 9th. Ahead of this system, a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain developed across eastern Upper Michigan late in the evening of the 8th. The precipitation continued into the early afternoon of the 9th, before changing over to all snow. Although 12-hour snowfall accumulations across Chippewa county only amounted to 2 to 4 inches by late afternoon on the 9th, the freezing rain caused ice to accumulate to 1/4 inch on exposed surfaces.
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 9, 4:00 AM EST, 4 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 4:00 AM EST, 4 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI 400 AM EST FRI FEB 9 2001 THE CURRENT APX 88D SHOWS DIMINISHING RETURNS OVER NORTHERN LOWER AND EAST UPPER MICHIGAN... WITH A SECOND BATCH OF MOISTURE MOVING OVER EASTERN WISCONSIN INTO LAKE MICHIGAN. THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS THIS PACKAGE WILL BE CENTERED AROUND HEADLINES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...ALONG WITH LINGERING LAKE EFFECT SNOWS INTO SATURDAY. MODEL DATA WAS IN GOOD AGREEMENT DURING THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE SURFACE LOW MOVES OVER THE LOWER PENINSULA THIS MORNING... BEFORE LIFTING INTO NORTHEAST LAKE HURON THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. TODAY...THE MODELS PUSH THE SURFACE LOW OUT OF THE PLAINS THIS MORNING AND INTO CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. BY 00Z SATURDAY...THE LOW IS FORECAST TO BE LOCATED NORTHEAST OF GEORGIAN BAY. LIFT THIS MORNING WILL BE SUPPLIED BY INCREASING 850/500 MB QVECTOR CONVERGENCE IN ADVANCE OF THE NORTHWARD MOVING SURFACE LOW...ALONG WITH GOOD 300K ISENTROPIC LIFT. LOWER MICHIGAN MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW LOW LEVELS SATURATED THIS MORNING TO 700 MB WITH AN ABOVE FREEZING LAYER EXTENDING UP FROM THE SURFACE TO 700 MB. THE MODEL SOUNDING FOR EAST UPPER MICHIGAN SHOWS AN ABOVE LAYER EXISTING BETWEEN 850 MB TO 750 MB WITH A MAX TEMPERATURE IN THAT LAYER BETWEEN +1C AND +2C THROUGH 12Z. BETWEEN 12Z AND 15Z THE ENTIRE SOUNDING FALLS BELOW FREEZING. THEREFORE WITH THIS TYPE OF SOUNDING...WOULD EXPECT SNOW TO MIX WITH SLEET THROUGH 15Z UNTIL THE MID LEVELS DROPS BELOW FREEZING. FOR NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN... MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOWS AN ABOVE FREEZING LAYER FROM THE SURFACE THROUGH 700 MB UNTIL AROUND 18Z. BETWEEN 18Z AND 21Z THE ENTIRE SOUNDING IS FORECAST TO DROP BELOW FREEZING WITH INVERSIONS DEVELOPING AROUND 3500 FEET. FOR NORTHEAST LOWER...MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW AN ABOVE FREEZING LAYER EXISTING BETWEEN THE SURFACE AND 700 MB THROUGH 21Z...BEFORE BECOMING ENTIRELY BELOW FREEZING BY 00Z SATURDAY. THEREFORE WILL MENTION RAIN THIS MORNING CHANGING TO SNOW ACROSS NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...WHILE KEEPING THE PRECIPITATION ALL RAIN FOR NORTHEAST LOWER. WILL ALSO MENTION THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA INTO THIS AFTERNOON AS MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES (700/500 MB) REMAIN AROUND 6 C/KM. TONIGHT...THE SURFACE LOW WILL BE LOCATED OVER GEORGIAN BAY BY 00Z SATURDAY WITH SURFACE CYCLONIC FLOW LINGERING OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES UNTIL 12Z SATURDAY. AT UPPER LEVELS...A 500 MB TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN WISCONSIN BY 00Z SATURDAY BEFORE MOVING INTO THE WESTERN LAKES BY 06Z SATURDAY. UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW WILL LINGER OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY. 900/700 MB MOISTURE REMAINS AROUND 80 TO 90 PERCENT ACROSS EAST UPPER AND NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN THROUGH MIDNIGHT...THEN DRYING TO 70 PERCENT OVER EAST UPPER AND TO 50 PERCENT OVER NORTHERN LOWER BY 12Z SATURDAY. 1000/850 MB MEAN WINDS WILL BE FROM THE NORTHWEST AROUND 340 DEGREES FROM 00Z SATURDAY THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY. 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL DROP FROM -12C AND -14C OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE SUPERIOR RESPECTIVELY THIS EVENING...TO -20C OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN AND TO -23C OVER LAKE SUPERIOR BY 12Z SATURDAY. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW INVERSION HEIGHTS AROUND 3000 FEET OVER EAST UPPER TONIGHT WHILE DROPPING TO AROUND 4000 FEET ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER. ONE HINDRANCE IN THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW TONIGHT WILL BE THE STRENGTH OF THE 1000/850 MB WINDS AROUND 25 KNOTS. THIS WILL FORCE THE SNOW FURTHER INLAND...AND EFFECTIVELY SPREADING THE SNOW OVER A LARGER AREA OF LAND. HOWEVER WITH THE COMBINATION OF SYNOPTIC SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG WITH THE OVER LAKE INSTABILITY...WARNING CRITERIA SNOWFALL SHOULD BE EXPECTED OVER THE LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE SUPERIOR SNOW BELTS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SATURDAY...SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW WILL LINGER THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. 900/700 MB MOISTURE WILL BE AROUND 60 PERCENT IN THE MORNING THEN DROPPING TO UNDER 40 PERCENT IN THE AFTERNOON AND THE EVENING. SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING AND ASSOCIATED ANTI CYCLONIC FLOW WILL BECOME THE DOMINATE FEATURES SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL KEEP LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST FOR THE LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE SUPERIOR SNOW BELTS INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. 1000/850 MB WINDS WILL BE NORTHWEST AROUND 330 DEGREES... WITH 850 MB TEMPERATURES AROUND -22C AND 900/700 MB MOISTURE AROUND 60 PERCENT THROUGH 18Z. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW INVERSION HEIGHTS TO REMAIN AROUND 4500 FEET ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER AND EAST UPPER THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THEREFORE WILL KEEP THE MENTION OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE LAKE MICHIGAN AND LAKE SUPERIOR SNOW BELTS SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. ACROSS THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL MENTION ONLY FLURRIES WITH SOME AFTERNOON SUN EXPECTED. .APX... WINTER STORM WARNING...TODAY AND TONIGHT...MIZ008. WINTER STORM WARNING...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... MIZ019-021-022-027-028 WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...TODAY AND TONIGHT...MIZ015. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ..MIZ016>018-020-023-024-025.-026-031>033. FLOOD WATCH...THIS MORNING...MIZ016>028-031>033. FLOOD WATCH...TODAY...MIZ029-030-034>036-041-042. SWR
Event by event
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Rip Current in Florida, February 9, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, February 9, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Michigan, February 9 to 12, 2001
- High Wind in Ohio, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Flooding in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Flood in Michigan, February 9 to 14, 2001
- Winter Weather in Vermont, February 9, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, February 9, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, February 9, 2001
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Flash Flooding in New York, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, February 9, 2001
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: 5235381.