Winter Storm in Michigan, February 25 to 27, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Michigan, February 25 to 27, 2002
Start: 2002-02-25T19:00
End: 2002-02-27T17:00
Location: Michigan

February 25 to 27, 2002 · NWS GRR · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Moderate to heavy snow developed across much of southern lower Michigan on the 25th and continued on the 27th. There were two phases to the snowfall.

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 GRR wrote it up.

Moderate to heavy snow developed across much of southern lower Michigan on the 25th and continued on the 27th. There were two phases to the snowfall. During the first phase of this event, the heaviest snow fell across Ingham and Jackson counties, where six toeight inches of snow fell during the late evening hours of the 25th into the morning hours of the 26th. A lake enhanced snow band also set up over southern Allegan and western Van Buren counties, mainly on the 27th, which resulted in up to nine inches of snow over western Van Buren county. The second phase of this event occurred during the late evening hours of the 26th through the 27th as lake effect snow bands set up across west central lower Michigan. A dominant snow band set up across Mason, western Lake, Oceana and northwest Newaygo counties. Nine to twelve inches of snow fell across these counties. Another dominant lake effect snow band set up across southwest Allegan, Van Buren, and into Kalamazoo county. Snowfall totals as high as sixteen inches were received near Paw Paw (Van Buren county).

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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 3:25 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 3:25 PM EST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
325 PM EST MON FEB 25 2002

WILL UPGRADE THE WATCH TO A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE ENTIRE
AREA.  THERE WILL BE TWO GROUPS TO THE WARNING.  A SOUTHERN GROUP
WHICH WILL FEATURE THE WARNING FROM TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY
NIGHT...WILL ALONG AND SOUTH OF A MUSKEGON TO MT PLEASANT LINE.  THE
NORTHERN GROUP WILL FEATURE A WARNING FROM TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
NIGHT.

THE MODELS ARE BRINGING THE PRECIPITATION IN SOONER FOR MUCH OF
SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.  AT 18Z...THE ETA MODEL HAD A BETTER
HANDLE ON THE DEVELOPING STORM.  ITS SURFACE LOW POSITION AND
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS VERIFIED WELL.  IN ADDITION...THE IDEA OF
DEVELOPING A BAND OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH ILLINOIS AND MISSOURI
THIS AFTERNOON LOOKS GOOD BASED UPON RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGES
ALONG WITH SURFACE REPORTS.  ALSO UPSTREAM...THE HEAVIER SNOW
DEVELOPING IN KANSAS...WAS DEPICTED WELL BY THE ETA.  WILL THEREFORE
GO WITH THE STRONGER ETA SOLUTION.

BASICALLY...THIS SYSTEM WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE STRONG JET SEEN ON
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE TROF NOW OVER KANSAS.
OVER THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THIS JET...HEAVY SNOW IS BREAKING OUT
ACROSS PORTIONS OF KANSAS.  THIS JET STREAK PULLS EAST OF THE TROF
TONIGHT...CAUSING IT TO CLOSE OFF AT 500 MB OVER ILLINOIS AT 18Z
TUE...AND THEN LIFT SLOWLY THROUGH EASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN TUESDAY
NIGHT.  THE LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIVERGENT LEFT QUADRANT OF THIS
UPPER LEVEL JET...ALONG WITH THE VERTICAL MOTION ASSOCIATED WITH
ARRIVAL OF THE DEEPENING UPPER LOW WILL LEAD TO A PROLONGED PERIOD
OF SNOW FOR THE REGION.  THIS SNOWFALL MAY OCCUR IN BANDS OF HEAVIER
SNOW WITH THE ETA MODEL SUGGESTING EVEN SOME CONVECTIVE ENHANCEMENT
LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FOR THE REGION ALONG AND SOUTH OF
I96.  CONSIDERING OUR LOCATION TO THE UPPER LOW...SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN IS  EXPECTED TO BE IN THE COMMA HEAD OF THIS SYSTEM...WHICH
PIVOTS OVER THE AREA LATER TUESDAY...THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
TYPICALLY THE LOCATION WHERE THE PIVOTING OCCURS GETS THE MOST
SNOW.  AS FOR AMOUNTS...CONSIDERING THE LONG DURATION OF THE
SNOW...WILL FEATURE 8 TO 12 INCHES FOR THE SOUTHERN GROUP AND 6 TO 9
FURTHER NORTH.

WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE LATER TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...AS
THE LOW INTENSIFIES WHILE PASSING NORTHWARD THROUGH TOLEDO.  COLDER
AIR WILL BE WRAPPING IN BEHIND THE SYSTEM ON GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS.
AM EXPECTING THE SNOW TO TAPER OFF EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...BUT IT
WILL LINGER THE LONGEST ON THE LAKESHORE.  SUBSIDENCE BEHIND THE
DEPARTING LOW...ALONG WITH RIDGING THROUGH THE LOW LEVEL SHOULD HELP
TO DIMINISH THE CLOUDS INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  CONSIDERING THE
WEAKENING WINDS...DECREASING CLOUDS AND FRESH SNOW...LOWS WEDNESDAY
MAY REACH THE LOWEST LEVELS SO FAR THIS WINTER.  WILL GO WELL BELOW
NORMAL FOR NOW.

MJS

EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION...

12Z AVN/CANADIAN GUIDANCE INDICATES SEVERAL UPPER SHORTWAVES WILL
MOVE THROUGH THURSDAY SO WE WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS
GOING. 850 MB TEMPS OF AROUND -14 C ARE CERTAINLY COLD ENOUGH FOR
LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS AND A WEAK CLIPPER SWINGING IN FROM THE
NORTHWEST LATE IN THE DAY WILL BRING ANOTHER REINFORCING SHOT OF
COLDER AIR FOR FRIDAY. SO WE WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS
GOING THURSDAY AND AGAIN FOR FRIDAY. IN FACT FOR THE WEEKEND MRF
GUIDANCE STILL INDICATES A BROAD LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER OUR REGION
WITH SEVERAL MORE IMPULSES OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY PROGGED TO MOVE
THROUGH. WE WILL CONTINUE TO GO WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS WITH
TEMPS REMAINING BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. EVEN OUT THROUGH
MONDAY TEMPS WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL. FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THIS IS
IN THE MEX NUMERICAL GUIDANCE... WHICH HAS TRENDED SEVERAL DEGREES
COLDER WITH IT/S MAX TEMP FORECAST FOR GRR SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY.
WE ANTICIPATE A FAIR AMOUNT OF SNOW COVER ACROSS OUR CWA BY THEN AS
WELL. 850 MB TEMPS OF -12 TO -16 C ARE FORECAST MONDAY ACCORDING TO
THE MRF... SO WE WILL KEEP MENTION OF SNOW SHOWERS GOING AS WELL.

LAURENS

.GRR...WINTER STORM WARNING TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT FOR THE
       FOLLOWING COUNTIES: MASON...LAKE...OSCEOLA...CLARE...OCEANA.
       WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT FOR THE
       FOLLOWING COUNTIES: NEWAYGO...MECOSTA...ISABELLA...MUSKEGON
       MONTCALM...GRATIOT...OTTAWA...KENT...IONIA...CLINTON...ALLEGAN
       BARRY...EATON...INGHAM...VAN BUREN...KALAMAZOO...CALHOUN...
       JACKSON.

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, Ingham

When: February 25, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Ingham forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.597, -84.373 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jackson

When: February 25, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.249, -84.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mason

When: February 26, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Mason forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.956, -86.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lake

When: February 26, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.990, -85.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oceana

When: February 26, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Oceana forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Allegan

When: February 26, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Allegan forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Van Buren

When: February 26, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kalamazoo

When: February 26, 7:00 PM EST to February 27, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Kalamazoo forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.245, -85.531 (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

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: 5283463, 5283466, 5283459, 5283460, 5283461, 5283462, 5283464, 5283465.