Heavy Snow, Mason
- When
- December 20, 7:00 AM EST to December 21, 2:00 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 20 to 21, 2004
This was a combination clipper system and lake effect snow event. Up to 10 inches of snow fell near Big and Little Sable points.
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.
This was a combination clipper system and lake effect snow event. Up to 10 inches of snow fell near Big and Little Sable points. From northwest Muskegon county north through western Oceana and Mason counties, near route 31, six to eight 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
- December 20, 7:00 AM EST to December 21, 2:00 AM 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, Muskegon
- When
- December 20, 7:00 AM EST to December 21, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Muskegon forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.219, -86.212 (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 Surf in Hawaii, December 20 to 23, 2004
- High Wind in Colorado, December 20, 2004
- High Wind in North Dakota, December 20, 2004
- Cold in New Jersey, December 20, 2004
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 20, 2004
- Winter Storm in Michigan, December 20 to 21, 2004
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, December 20 to 21, 2004
- High Wind in Montana, December 20, 2004
- Cold in Pennsylvania, December 20, 2004
- Winter Weather in South Dakota, December 20, 2004
- Winter Weather in Iowa, December 20, 2004
- Cold in Pennsylvania, December 20, 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: 5429282, 5429283, 5429284.