Michigan, 2002

Heavy Snow in Michigan, February 25 to 26, 2002

February 25 to 26, 2002 · NWS MQT · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

As low pressure over southern Lower Michigan moved away and snow tapered off, a second low pressure system from Eastern Texas deepened and moved up the Ohio River Valley and across the eastern Great Lakes. This second low produced strong gusty north winds that brought heavy lake enhanced snow to Western and Northern Upper Michigan.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
6

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.

As low pressure over southern Lower Michigan moved away and snow tapered off, a second low pressure system from Eastern Texas deepened and moved up the Ohio River Valley and across the eastern Great Lakes. This second low produced strong gusty north winds that brought heavy lake enhanced snow to Western and Northern Upper Michigan. Total snowfall amounts reported include 21 inches in Negaunee, 18 inches in Herman, 15 inches at Mohawk, 14 inches in Bergland, 13 inches in Gwinn, 12 inches in Calumet and Shingleton and 10 inches in Wakefield. At the National Weather Service Office in Negaunee, February 2002 set a record of 91.9 inches for the greatest calendar month snowfall ever recorded.

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 Feb 25, 4:15 PM EST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 4:15 PM EST, 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
415 PM EST MON FEB 25 2002

MAIN FORECAST ISSUE IS DEVELOPING LES/BLOWING SNOW TONIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY. THIS AFD WILL BE A QUICK ONE.

LES BANDS ON VISIBLE PIX INDICATIVE OF COLDER AIR OOZING ACROSS LAKE
SUPERIOR THAN MODELS ARE FORECASTING. KINL RAOB AT 12Z HAD -17C AT
850MB...THOUGH MODELS ONLY INITIALIZED WITH -13C OR -14C.  THUS
BELIEVE BUFKIT SOUNDINGS UNDERDOING AMOUNT OF LES THAT WILL OCCUR
TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS TEMPS NEAR -17 WOULD GIVE DELTA-TS OF
ABOUT 19C.

WATCHING A SHORTWAVE INDICATED ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY APPROACHING
THE CWA THAT IS PRODUCING AN AREA OF -SN INTO MUCH OF MINNESOTA INTO
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AT THIS TIME. THIS SHOULD ENHANCE CURRENT LES
BEGINNING THIS EVENING IN THE WESTERN ZONES. AS IT STANDS...
OCCASIONAL MODERATE SNOW BEING REPORTED AT KCMX WITH SOLELY LAKE
EFFECT SUPPORT. STRONG CYCLONIC FLOW WITH 950MB CONVERGENCE FIELD
SETS UP IN WEST TONIGHT AND INCREASES IN THE CENTRAL U.P. TUESDAY.

STRONG VORT MAX ROTATING AROUND BASE OF LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE
PLAINS WILL KICK OFF A SFC LOW IN THE OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT INTO
TOMORROW. THIS WILL COMBINE WITH CAA TO PRODUCE INCREASED WINDS TO
THE ENTIRE CWA TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT.

HAVE OPTED FOR WSW IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL ZONES. THOUGH SNOW AMOUNTS
WILL BE MARGINALLY WARNING CRITERIA...THE COMBINATION OF THE POWDERY
SNOW WITH INCREASING WINDS WILL WREAK HAVOC ON THE CWA WITH BLOWING
SNOW LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...AND INTO TUESDAY NIGHT IN THE EAST.

SHORTWAVE RIDGING AND DRIER AIR WILL RESULT IN DIMINISHING SHSN AND
WIND TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

IN THE LONGER RANGE...IT APPEARS COLDER AIR WILL SETTLE OVER CANADA
AS HUDSON BAY LOW BRINGS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES/SHOTS OF COLDER AIR
INTO THE AREA. LONG RANGE ENSEMBLES SHOW THIS PATTERN HOLDING WELL
INTO MARCH.  IN CURRENT FORECAST...WILL MENTION NEXT QUICK DOSE OF
LES THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WITH FAIRLY DRY CLIPPER SYSTEM CURRENTLY IN
THE NORTHERN GULF OF ALASKA. ANOTHER CLIPPER LOOKS TO STRIKE OVER
THE WEEKEND...SO ADJUSTED FORECAST SLIGHTLY TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS
TREND INTO NEXT WEEK.

COORDINATED WITH DLH AND APX...THANKS.

.MQT...WINTER STORM WARNING TNGT/TUE MIZ001>003-005-006-009.
       SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY TNGT/TUE MIZ004.

JKL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Keweenaw

When
February 25, 5:00 PM EST to February 26, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Keweenaw forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Houghton

When
February 25, 5:00 PM EST to February 26, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Houghton forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ontonagon

When
February 25, 5:00 PM EST to February 26, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Ontonagon forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marquette

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Marquette forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
46.663, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alger

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Alger forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Baraga

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 6:00 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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5280825, 5280826, 5280827, 5280828, 5280829, 5280830.