Heavy Snow, Mason
- When
- December 12, 7:00 PM EST to December 14, 7:00 AM 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, December 12 to 14, 2004
An Alberta clipper system brought moderate to heavy snow across portions of the area, and lake effect snow developed on the back side of the system. 5 inches of snow fell.
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.
An Alberta clipper system brought moderate to heavy snow across portions of the area, and lake effect snow developed on the back side of the system. The heaviest total snowfall report was received from Scottville (Mason county) where 9.5 inches of snow fell. Van Buren and extreme western Kalamazoo county had from about 6 to 9.5 inches of total snowfall.
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, Van Buren
- When
- December 12, 7:00 PM EST to December 14, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Van Buren forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Kalamazoo
- When
- December 12, 7:00 PM EST to December 14, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Kalamazoo forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 42.245, -85.531 (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
- High Wind in Iowa, December 12, 2004
- High Wind in Washington, December 12, 2004
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, December 12, 2004
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Minnesota, December 12, 2004
- High Wind in Iowa, December 12, 2004
- High Wind in South Dakota, December 12, 2004
- Winter Storm in Michigan, December 12 to 13, 2004
- High Wind in Iowa, December 12, 2004
- High Wind in South Dakota, December 12, 2004
- Winter Storm in Michigan, December 12 to 13, 2004
- High Wind in Minnesota, December 12, 2004
- High Wind in Iowa, December 12 to 13, 2004
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2004
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5429278, 5429279, 5429280.