Heavy Snow, Leelanau
- When
- January 19, 5:00 AM EST to January 20, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Leelanau forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 45.152, -86.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 19 to 20, 2004
Heavy lake effect snow came in off of Lake Michigan, accompanied by gusty northwest winds and blowing and drifting. The most persistent band of snow settled in from central Leelanau County to western Grand Traverse County.
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 APX wrote it up.
Heavy lake effect snow came in off of Lake Michigan, accompanied by gusty northwest winds and blowing and drifting. The most persistent band of snow settled in from central Leelanau County to western Grand Traverse County. Around 20 inches of snow fell near Interlochen, with drifts of 5 to 6 feet across M-72 in Leelanau County. Elsewhere, 4 to 8 inch amounts were common in Benzie and Manistee Counties.
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, Benzie
- When
- January 19, 7:00 AM EST to January 20, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Benzie forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 44.617, -86.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Grand Traverse
- When
- January 19, 7:00 AM EST to January 20, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Grand Traverse forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 44.716, -85.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Manistee
- When
- January 19, 12:00 PM EST to January 20, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Manistee forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 44.238, -86.288 (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 19, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, January 19 to 20, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, January 19, 2004
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 19 to 20, 2004
- High Surf in Hawaii, January 19 to 23, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Maine, January 19, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Maine, January 19, 2004
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Alaska, January 19 to 20, 2004
- Hail in Florida, January 19, 2004
- Winter Weather in Colorado, January 19 to 20, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 19 to 20, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, January 19 to 20, 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: 5382591, 5382590, 5382593, 5382592.