Heavy Snow, Mason
- When
- January 18, 7:00 AM EST to January 20, 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, January 18 to 20, 2004
Lake effect snow developed and affected areas only west of US-31, close to the Lake Michigan shoreline. A foot of snow was reported within ten miles of Lake Michigan across Van Buren county by the Van Buren County Road Commission, from near South Haven to south of Covert.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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.
Lake effect snow developed and affected areas only west of US-31, close to the Lake Michigan shoreline. A foot of snow was reported within ten miles of Lake Michigan across Van Buren county by the Van Buren County Road Commission, from near South Haven to south of Covert. This area of heavy snow extended north into southwestern Allegan county. Up to seven inches of snow fell across the westernmost portions of Mason and Oceana counties, including Big and Little Sable Points.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Oceana
- When
- January 18, 7:00 AM EST to January 20, 7:00 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, Allegan
- When
- January 18, 7:00 AM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Allegan forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Van Buren
- When
- January 18, 7:00 AM EST to January 20, 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)
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
- Cold in Illinois, January 18, 2004
- Winter Storm in Michigan, January 18 to 19, 2004
- Flooding in Missouri, January 18, 2004
- Winter Storm in Connecticut, January 18, 2004
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, January 18, 2004
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, January 18, 2004
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, January 18, 2004
- Winter Storm in New York, January 18, 2004
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5385129, 5385130, 5385131, 5385132.