Winter Storm in Michigan, March 2 to 4, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Michigan, March 2 to 4, 2002
Start: 2002-03-02T01:00
End: 2002-03-04T07:00
Location: Michigan

March 2 to 4, 2002 · NWS GRR · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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: 18

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.

A winter storm produced heavy snow across most of southwestern and south central lower Michigan, dumping anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snow to the north and west of the track of the low pressure system, to under 4 inches across far south central lower Michigan close to the track of the low. Snow developed well out ahead of the low pressure area during the early morning hours of the 2nd and continued through the day. Once the low pressure area passed by to the east lake enhanced snowfall began. Approximately 16 inches of snow fell across Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan, and western Kent counties. The maximum snowfall reported was in Ludington (Mason county), where 18" of snow fell. A foot or more of snow fell across Lake, Osceola, Clare, Newaygo, Mecosta, Isabella, Montcalm, Ionia, and western portions of Barry and Kalamazoo counties. Generally 8 to 10 inches of snow fell across Gratiot county. Much lighter snowfall totals of less than 6 inches were reported across Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Calhoun and Jackson counties.

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 Mar 1, 9:09 PM EST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 9:09 PM EST, 3 hours 51 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
909 PM EST FRI MAR 01 2002

CURRENT FORECAST GOING AS PLANNED.  THE PRECIPITATION IS HOLDING OFF
THROUGH THIS EVENING.  00Z DTX SOUNDING SHOWS SOME DRY AIR IN THE
LOW LEVELS...WHICH THE RUC MODEL SUGGESTS WILL BECOME SATURATED IN
SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN FROM WEST TO EAST AFTER MIDNIGHT.  THE RUC
MODEL AT 12Z...DOES SHOW STRONG WARM AND MOIST AIR ADVECTION
THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...AND THEREFORE IT COULD BE
SNOWING HARD IN MANY PLACES.  WILL CERTAINLY NEED TO MONITOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM AS THE SOUTH CENTRAL COUNTIES OF LOWER
MICHIGAN...WHICH ARE NOT COVERED BY ANY HEADLINES...COULD CERTAINLY
PICK UP SOME DECENT SNOWFALL BEFORE THE CHANGE OVER TO MIXED
PRECIPITATION OR RAIN.

WILL INCREASE LOW TEMPERATURES FOR MANY LOCATIONS TONIGHT...AS
THICKER CLOUDS HAVE ALREADY MOVED IN...AND VALUES WILL NOT DROP OFF
AS MUCH AS ANTICIPATED.

.GRR...WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SAT NIGHT FOR
MASON...LAKE...OCEANA..NEWAYGO...MUSKEGON COUNTIES.
WINTER STORM WATCH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR THE SW
QUARTER OF THE CWA.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING
FOR CENTRAL ONE THIRD OF CWA FROM CLARE COUNTY SOUTHWEST TO
VAN BUREN AND KALAMAZOO COUNTIES.

MJS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Mason

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM 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: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM 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, Osceola

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Osceola forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.990, -85.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clare

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Clare forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.988, -84.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oceana

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM 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, Newaygo

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Newaygo forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.554, -85.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mecosta

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Mecosta forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.641, -85.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Isabella

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Isabella forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.641, -84.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Muskegon

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Muskegon forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Montcalm

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Montcalm forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.311, -85.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gratiot

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Gratiot forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.293, -84.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ottawa

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kent

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Kent forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ionia

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Ionia forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.945, -85.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Allegan

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM 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, Barry

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Barry forecast zone
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Van Buren

When: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM 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: March 2, 1:00 AM EST to March 4, 7:00 AM 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, March 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: 5285778, 5285779, 5285780, 5285894, 5285895, 5285896, 5285986, 5285987, 5285988, 5285989, 5285990, 5285991, 5285992, 5285993, 5285994, 5285995, 5285996, 5285997.