Heavy Snow, Mason
- When
- January 18, 10:00 AM EST to 10:00 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)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 18, 2003
A combination lake effect enhanced synoptic system produced locally heavy snowfall across a few counties of western lowerMichigan. Eight to eleven inches of snow fell across most of eastern Mason and Oceana counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 combination lake effect enhanced synoptic system produced locally heavy snowfall across a few counties of western lowerMichigan. Eight to eleven inches of snow fell across most of eastern Mason and Oceana counties. The second area of heavy snow occurred across eastern Ottawa county, where six to seven inches of snow was reported. All of the snow fell between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. The maximum snowfall reports were received from Walkerville and Ferry, where eleven inches of snow fell.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Oceana
- When
- January 18, 10:00 AM EST to 10:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Ottawa
- When
- January 18, 10:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2003
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5339504, 5339505, 5339506.