Michigan, 2002

Winter Storm in Michigan, February 25 to 26, 2002

February 25 to 26, 2002 · NWS DTX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A low pressure system developed in the Ohio River Valley during the early morning hours on the 26th. This low pressure system moved across central Ohio and into eastern Ontario on the 26th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
8

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 DTX wrote it up.

A low pressure system developed in the Ohio River Valley during the early morning hours on the 26th. This low pressure system moved across central Ohio and into eastern Ontario on the 26th. Snow fell on the back side of this storm system, affecting most of southeastern Michigan. Snowfall began late in the evening on the 25th and continued through the morning of the 26th. Portions of southeast Michigan received around 6 inches of snowfall from this storm system. 6 to 7 inches of snow were reported across central Livingston, northern Oakland, northern Macomb, southern Lapeer, and northwestern Washtenaw counties. 6 inches of snow was reported around Flint, Sebewaing, and much of Shiawassee county. The rest of southeast Michigan received 3 to 5 inches of snowfall. Several traffic accidents resulted from this storm system. The storm also led to the cancellation of many area schools and the loss of power to an estimated 4000 homes and businesses.

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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 7:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 7:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
730 PM EST MON FEB 25 2002

PRECIPITATION BREAKING OUT IN AREA OF 700MB FGEN FORCING MAINLY
ALONG AND NORTH OF TEW-FNT-SANDUSKY LINE. CURRENTLY SURFACE TEMPERATURES
AND THICKNESS CONSIDERATIONS /FOR NOW KEYING ON 1000-850MB 1300M
THICKNESS FOR RA/SN DELINEATION/ POINT TO INITIAL PRECIP FALLING AS
RAIN...IN REGION OF FGEN FORCING. BAY AND MIDLAND COUNTIES WILL
PROBABLY START AS SNOW AND REMAIN SNOW. STRONG 850MB FGEN FORCING
WILL EVOLVE AFTER 9 PM DIRECTED TOWARD THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. BASED
ON 1300M THICKNESS...ANTICIPATE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW TO OCCUR BY 10 PM
FROM FNT NORTH...WITH LIVINGSTON AND OAKLAND COUNTIES NOT LIKELY TO
SEE CHANGEOVER UNTIL CLOSER TO MIDNIGHT.

ZONE UPDATE TO BE ISSUED TO REFLECT THIS SCENARIO. MORE UPDATES
THROUGH THE EVENING.

.DTX...WINTER STORM WARNING...TONIGHT... TUESDAY... AND TUESDAY
       NIGHT.
OKEEFE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lapeer

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Lapeer forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Livingston

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Macomb

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Macomb forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oakland

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Oakland forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washtenaw

When
February 25, 10:00 PM EST to February 26, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Washtenaw forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Genesee

When
February 26, 2:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Huron

When
February 26, 2:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Huron forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.910, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Shiawassee

When
February 26, 2:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where
Shiawassee forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.954, -84.147 (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 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: 5279020, 5279021, 5279022, 5279023, 5279025, 5279018, 5279019, 5279024.