Heavy Snow, Ottawa
- When
- January 29, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 29 to 30, 2004
Arctic air poured into lower Michigan as a strong arctic high pressure area moved into the northern Plains states. Heavy lake effect snow developed over a narrow area across extreme southwestern Ottawa county and far western Allegan and Van Buren counties, mainly west of US-31.
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.
Arctic air poured into lower Michigan as a strong arctic high pressure area moved into the northern Plains states. Heavy lake effect snow developed over a narrow area across extreme southwestern Ottawa county and far western Allegan and Van Buren counties, mainly west of US-31. Up to ten inches of snow fell from near South Haven to Paw Paw, in Van Buren county. Eight to ten inches of snow fell in Saugatuck (Allegan county), and seven to ten inches of snow was reported in Grand Haven (Ottawa county).
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, Allegan
- When
- January 29, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 7:00 PM 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 29, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 7:00 PM 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
- Winter Storm in Kansas, January 29 to 31, 2004
- Cold in Illinois, January 29 to 30, 2004
- Heavy Snow in New York, January 29 to 31, 2004
- Winter Weather in Illinois, January 29, 2004
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 29, 2004
- Winter Weather in Indiana, January 29, 2004
- Cold in Indiana, January 29 to 30, 2004
- High Wind in Oregon, January 29 to 30, 2004
- Flooding in Washington, January 29 to 31, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, January 29, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, January 29 to 30, 2004
- High Wind in Oregon, January 29, 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: 5385268, 5385269, 5385270.