Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 1, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 1, 2002
Start: 2002-02-01T01:00
End: 2002-02-01T13:20
Location: Michigan

February 1, 2002 · NWS MQT · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A complex storm system moving northeast from the southern plains brought snow to mainly the east and central portions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula early on the first day of February.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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 MQT wrote it up.

A complex storm system moving northeast from the southern plains brought snow to mainly the east and central portions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula early on the first day of February. Early morning reports included 10 inches in Herman, Gwinn and Munising, 12 inches near Skandia, and 8 inches in Spaulding, Newberry and Shingleton

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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 10:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 10:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
1030 PM EST THU JAN 31 2002

MAIN FCST CONCERNS OVERNIGHT ARE SNOW TRENDS/ACCUMULATIONS.

WV/IR IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS INDICATED POTENT MID LVL SHRTWV HAD
LIFTED INTO SW IA. SRN EDGE OF DEFORMATION ZONE CLOUDS...LINING UP
WITH AXIS OF HEAVIER SNOW...EXTENDED FROM NE IA TO NE WI. AREA
RADARS INDICATED BANDED PCPN THRU CNTRL INTO NE WI WITH REFL AOA 28
DBZ AND VSBYS DOWN TO 1/2SM...SUPPORTED BY 700-500 FRONTOGENETICAL
FORCING. HEAVIER BANDS...HOWEVER SEEM TO BE SHIFTING/REDEVELOPING
ENOUGH TO MINIMIZE VERY HEAVY LCL AMOUNTS. AT THE SFC...LO PRES HAD
MOVED NE TO JUST SW OF CHICAGO WITH MAX 3-HR PRES FALLS FROM SRN LK
MI TO SW LWR MI. SNOW TOTALS SO FAR HAVE RANGED FROM 3-4 INCHES FROM
CRYSTAL FALLS TO KMQT AND STEPHENSON WITH ONLY 1-2 INCHES AT
MARQUETTE AND KESC AND LESS THAN AN INCH OVER THE KEWEENAW. ETA/RUC
SUGGEST AXIS OF 700-600 DEFORMATION AND FN VECTOR CONV WILL SLOWLY
SLIDE TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OVERNIGHT. SO...EXPECT HEAVIEST SYNOPTIC
SNOW TO CONTINUE MAINLY EAST OF A LINE FROM LANSE TO KEGV. WITH H7
NEAR 285-290K LYR NEAR 2 G/KG...EXPECT ADDITIONAL 6-9 HOUR SNOW
TOTALS NEAR 2-3 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS TO 4-5 INCHES
IF MESOSCALE LINGERS. ETA/RUC ALSO SUGGEST ADDITIONAL 03Z-12Z
QPF NEAR 0.20-0.30 INCH OVERNIGHT. SNOW/WATER RATIO NEAR 15/1 TO
20/1 WOULD ALSO GIVE POTENTIAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF ABOUT 3-5 INCHES.
LAKE ENHANCMENENT AND OROGRAPHIC LIFT INTO HIGHER TERRAIN WEST OF
MARQUETTE SHOULD ALSO BOOST SNOWFALL RATES AS H8 TEMPS NEAR -12C
PRODUCE LK-H8 DELTA/T TO AROUND 14C. LLVL WINDS OF 070-080...PER
KMQT VAD WND PRFL...ARE EXPECTED TO BACK TO NNE BY 12Z WHICH WOULD
BRING HEAVIER SNOWS TOWARD KSAW LATER TONIGHT. SO...WL BOOST
SNOWFALL FCST TONIGHT BY 1-2 INCHES OVER CURRENT AMOUNTS BUT WILL
NOT MAKE CHANGES TO ONGOING ADVY/WRNG HEADLINES.

.MQT...WINTER STORM WRNG TNGT THRU FRI MRNG MIZ004-005.
       SN ADVY THRU TNGT MIZ006-007-010>014.

JLB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Alger

When: February 1, 1:00 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Alger forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Menominee

When: February 1, 1:00 AM EST to 7:50 AM EST
Where: Menominee forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 45.525, -87.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Luce

When: February 1, 1:00 AM EST to 8:30 AM EST
Where: Luce forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marquette

When: February 1, 1:40 AM EST to 5:30 AM EST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 46.663, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Baraga

When: February 1, 2:30 AM EST to 1:20 PM EST
Where: Baraga forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.700, -88.352 (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

Every storm in Michigan in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, February 2002

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: 5280708, 5280709, 5280710, 5280707, 5280706.