Blizzard and Winter Storm in Michigan, November 12 to 13, 2003

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Michigan, November 12 to 13, 2003
Start: 2003-11-12T18:00
End: 2003-11-13T05:27
Location: Michigan

November 12 to 13, 2003 · NWS MQT · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A rapidly deepening storm moved across northern Wisconsin eastward into southeast Canada. Snow developed over western and central Upper Michigan and became heavy at times.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: 10

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 rapidly deepening storm moved across northern Wisconsin eastward into southeast Canada. Snow developed over western and central Upper Michigan and became heavy at times. Northwest winds behind the storm increased to as high as 40 mph, resulting in areas of blowing and drifting snow. Blizzard conditions occurred near Lake Superior in Alger, Luce and Northern Schoolcraft Counties with frequent periods of zero visibility. Schools and a few businesses were closed in Gogebic, Ontonagon, Baraga and Marquette counties and some roads were blocked in Houghton and Keweenaw counties.The snow was wet and heavy, breaking off tree branches and downing power and telephone lines and hampering plowing and cleanup efforts. Roads were slick and hazardous, restricting travel across the area.

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.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 12, 5:50 AM EST, 12 hours 10 minutes before

MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-131300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
550 AM EST WED NOV 12 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL UPPER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

HEAVY SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN
THIS AFTERNOON. INCREASING NORTH WINDS WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING
AND DRIFTING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITY BY LATE AFTERNOON. HEAVY
SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE EASTERN HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN THIS
EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW AND VERY STRONG WINDS WILL
PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EAST OF MARQUETTE NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR BY
LATE EVENING.

GALE FORCE WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR THIS AFTERNOON
WITH WINDS INCREASING TO STORM FORCE OVER EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR
TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW SQUALLS OFF LAKE SUPERIOR WILL LEAD TO
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DURING THURSDAY MORNING EAST OF MARQUETTE NEAR
LAKE SUPERIOR. LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS AND AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL
LOCALLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES THURSDAY MORNING ALONG THE REMAINDER OF
LAKE SUPERIOR.

GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ON LAKE SUPERIOR THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED...BUT SNOWFALL REPORTS ARE
ALWAYS APPRECIATED.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING URL:

HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/MQT (ALL LOWER CASE)

JLA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter storm, 3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Gogebic

When: November 12, 6:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Gogebic forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ontonagon

When: November 12, 7:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM 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, Northern Houghton

When: November 12, 7:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Houghton forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Keweenaw

When: November 12, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Keweenaw forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Houghton

When: November 12, 7:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Houghton forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Baraga

When: November 12, 9:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Baraga forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 46.700, -88.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marquette

When: November 12, 9:00 PM EST to November 13, 5:27 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)

Blizzard, Alger

When: November 13, 12:00 AM EST to 5:27 AM EST
Where: Alger forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Schoolcraft

When: November 13, 12:00 AM EST to 5:27 AM EST
Where: Northern Schoolcraft forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Luce

When: November 13, 4:00 AM EST to 5:27 AM 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

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, November 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5332321, 5332322, 5332323, 5332324, 5332330, 5332325, 5332326, 5332327, 5332328, 5332329.