Heavy Snow in Michigan, November 26 to 27, 2002

During the afternoon of the 26th, an upper air disturbance passed across the southern Great Lakes region. A band of heavy lake-effect snow developed over Lake Huron as cold north-northeasterly winds passed over the relatively warm waters of the lake. The north-northeasterly wind flow allowed the band to extend across a large distance of water, thereby developing very heavy snow. This band moved onshore in eastern St Clair county and far southeastern Sanilac county on the afternoon of the 26th. The band then remained nearly stationary through the rest of the afternoon and into the early morning hours of the 27th. Snowfall was estimated to have fallen at a rate of two to three inches an hour in some locations. The snow was the heaviest and persisted the longest in the city of Port Huron. By the morning of the 27th, 12-hour snowfall totaled 17 inches across the northern half of the city of Port Huron, while the south half reported amounts around 13 inches. Snowfall amounts in other parts of St Clair county included; 15 inches in Fort Gratiot Township, 9 inches in eastern Clyde Township, 7 inches in Lakeport, and 6 inches in the city of St Clair. In Sanilac county, 12-hour snowfall amounts were reported as; 8 inches in Lexington, 8 inches in Crosswell, 8 inches in Applegate, and 6 inches in Port Sanilac.