Heavy Snow, Schoolcraft
- When
- January 27, 5:00 PM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Schoolcraft forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 27, 2003
A quick moving upper level disturbance that passed east through Ontario brought increasing clouds and a period of overrunning snow to almost all of Upper Michigan on January 27th. Most places picked up an inch or two of snow as south winds gusted up to 30 to 35 mph.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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 quick moving upper level disturbance that passed east through Ontario brought increasing clouds and a period of overrunning snow to almost all of Upper Michigan on January 27th. Most places picked up an inch or two of snow as south winds gusted up to 30 to 35 mph. Lake enhanced snow showers off Lake Michigan battered Schoolcraft and Luce counties with locally heavy snow. As much as 11 Inches fell near Blaney Park and 9 inches accumulated at Germfask and near Newberry. The gusty winds and blowing snow resulted in whiteout conditions along highways US-2 and M-117 east of Manistique. Michigan State Police closed sections of highway US-2 due to near zero visibility and snow drifting over the roadway.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Luce
- When
- January 27, 7:00 PM EST to 10:30 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)
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: 5338165, 5338164.