Blizzard and Ice Storm in Michigan, March 9 to 10, 2002

Name: Blizzard and Ice Storm in Michigan, March 9 to 10, 2002
Start: 2002-03-09T00:00
End: 2002-03-10T23:00
Location: Michigan

March 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS MQT · 21 events in 13 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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: 21

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 powerful winter storm that formed east of the Rockies intensified as it tracked northeast across Wisconsin and eastern Upper Michigan. Ahead of the storm system, freezing rain, sleet and rain fell over Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Temperatures rose into the lower 40s across the central and eastern parts of the Upper Peninsula where local flooding was reported on many roadways due to snow melt and rainfall. Temperatures quickly fell back below freezing with the passage of the trailing cold front. Storm force northwest winds were recorded over Lake Superior with winds over 40 mph across much of western and northern Upper Michigan. Blizzard conditions were observed and made driving almost impossible. Lake effect snow, heavy at times, combined with strong northwest winds that gusted to over 60 mph to produce widespread white outs. Power outages occurred with downed power lines, and numerous minor traffic accidents were reported, including one 5 car pile-up. Some roads were closed when snowplow crews could not keep up with falling and blowing snow.Freezing rain coated Negaunee, Marquette and Harvey with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice. and left a 1/4 inch coating of ice in Felch, Bark River, and over most of Iron, Alger and Schoolcraft Counties. A combination of sleet and freezing rain left an accumulation of ice varying from 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick in Menominee County. Newberry reported 1/2 inch accumulation of ice from the freezing rain. Ironwood and Bessemer reported 8 inches of new snow in 12 hours. Rockland received 10 inches of snow in 24 hours, 11 inches of new snow fell in Herman with considerable blowing and drifting. Ten inches of snowfall in 24 hours was measured at the National Weather Service Office with blizzard conditions reported over the west half of Marquette County. Seney reported 8 to 10 inches of snow with 2 to 3 foot drifts. Shingleton reported 9 inches of snow and Newberry reported 14 inches with considerable blowing and drifting .High winds of 50 to 60 mph knocked down trees and power lines and caused blizzard conditions in Ontonagon, Houghton, Keweenaw, Marquette, Alger, Luce and Schoolcraft Counties. Some main highways were closed because of zero visibility and snow drifts blocking the road.

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 Mar 8, 10:08 PM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 10:08 PM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
1008 PM EST FRI MAR 8 2002

MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS OVRNGT ARE HEADLINES AS SIGNIFICANT ICE STORM
LIKELY FOR CENTRAL COUNTIES...MODERATE ICING FOR ERN ZONES WITH HVY
SNOW OVER WEST.

LATEST WV/RUC ANALYSIS LOOP SHOWS STG SHRTWV OVR SE CO ROUNDING BASE
OF INCRGLY MORE NEG-TILT UPR TROF. AT SFC...LOW OVR OK PANHANDLE
WITH TROF AND FRONTAL BNDRY EXTENDING NEWD INTO NRN LWR MI. ELEVATED
CONVECTION HAS BLOSSOMED THIS EVNG ALG THIS SHARP BAROCLINIC ZONE AS
STG 8H JET OF 45 TO 50 KNOTS OVERRUNNING BNDRY AND RESULTANT
ISENTROPIC LIFT TRIGGERING LINE OF TSRA FM KS INTO WI. FORECAST
SNDGS INDICATE 700-500 MB LAPSE RATES IN EXCESS OF 7.5C/KM ALG
BAROCLINIC ZONE.

850 MB THETA-E RDG NOW ALIGNED ALONG BEST CONVECTION IS FORECAST TO
NOSE INTO SCNTRL UPR MI OVRNGT. TSRA COMPLEX NOW OVR CNTRL WI TAKING
AIM ON MNM COUNTY. GIVEN THAT COLD NE FLOW PERSISTS ACROSS UPR MI ON
BACKSIDE SFC TROF WITH SFC TEMPS STILL IN UPPER 20S TO AROUND
30...WOULD EXPECT MUCH OF HEAVY PCPN INITIALLY TO FALL AS FREEZING
RAIN OVR MNM COUNTY. THUS...HAVE ISSUED ICE STORM WARNING FOR MNM
COUNTY. ALSO AS PCPN FM THIS COMPLEX SPREADS FARTHER EWD INTO DELTA
AND SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTIES EXPECT THREAT OF FREEZING RAIN THERE AS WELL.
ISSUED EARLIER ADVISORY FOR DELTA-SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTIES...BUT GIVEN
LOOMING BLOB OF PCPN TO MOVE UP FM SW OVRNGT WILL UPGRADE ADVISORY
TO ICE STORM WARNING. DESPITE WHAT 00Z ETA MODEL SNDGS
SUGGEST...BELIEVE CHANGEOVER OF FREEZING PCPN TO RAIN WILL BE
DELAYED UNTIL SFC LOW MOVES INTO NRN WI AND FLOW VEERS FM NE TO MORE
SOUTH WHICH REALLY DOESNT OCCUR UNTIL 12Z OR AFTER. AS MENTIONED
BEFORE FCST STEEP MID-LVL LAPSE RATES AND THETA-E RDGG OVR ERN FA
WILL ALSO BEEF UP WORDING OF THUNDER OVRNGT FM MQT-IMT EWD.

REST OF HEADLINES LOOK GOOD...WITH WARNINGS FOR MAINLY FREEZING RAIN
CNTRL BUT MAY STRESS MORE SLEET AND SNOW FOR WRN ZONES...DEEPER INTO
DRIER COLDER AIR.

COORD WITH GRB AND APX...THANKS.

.MQT...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH SAT NIGHT
       MIZ001>004-009-010.
       ICE STORM WARNING OVERNIGHT MIZ005-011.
       WINTER WX ADVISORY MIZ006-007-013-014.
       STORM WARNING LK SUPERIOR.

VOSS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 winter storm, 7 ice storm, 4 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Menominee

When: March 9, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Menominee forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 45.525, -87.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Delta

When: March 9, 3:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Delta forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.792, -86.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Dickinson

When: March 9, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Dickinson forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.009, -87.870 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Iron

When: March 9, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Iron forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.209, -88.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Schoolcraft

When: March 9, 4:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where: Schoolcraft forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Alger

When: March 9, 5:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where: Alger forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Luce

When: March 9, 5:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where: Luce forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Marquette

When: March 9, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 46.663, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ontonagon

When: March 9, 7:00 PM EST to March 10, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Ontonagon forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Baraga

When: March 9, 7:00 PM EST to March 10, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Baraga forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.700, -88.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Keweenaw

When: March 9, 7:00 PM EST to March 10, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Keweenaw forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Ontonagon

When: March 9, 7:00 PM EST to March 10, 2:00 AM EST
Where: Ontonagon forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Houghton

When: March 9, 8:00 PM EST to March 10, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Houghton forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marquette

When: March 10, 12:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Marquette forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.663, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gogebic

When: March 10, 3:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Gogebic forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Alger

When: March 10, 9:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Alger forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Luce

When: March 10, 9:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Luce forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Schoolcraft

When: March 10, 9:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Schoolcraft forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Schoolcraft

When: March 10, 4:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Schoolcraft forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Alger

When: March 10, 4:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Alger forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Luce

When: March 10, 4:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Luce forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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: 5285964, 5286073, 5285957, 5285961, 5286072, 5286070, 5286071, 5285956, 5285959, 5285960, 5285963, 5286077, 5285962, 5286078, 5285958, 5286074, 5286075, 5286076, 5286079, 5286080, 5286081.