Michigan, 2004

Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 5, 2004

March 5, 2004 · NWS APX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system lifted northeast across Northern Lower Michigan on the afternoon of the 5th. Precipitation was widespread ahead of this storm system, and from the Straits of Mackinac region northward, this precipitation fell as heavy snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

A strong low pressure system lifted northeast across Northern Lower Michigan on the afternoon of the 5th. Precipitation was widespread ahead of this storm system, and from the Straits of Mackinac region northward, this precipitation fell as heavy snow. In Northern Lower Michigan, around six inches of snow fell north of Indian River. Across Eastern Upper Michigan, six to ten inch accumulations were common, with the highest amounts in western Mackinac County near Naubinway.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Gaylord, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 4, 3:55 PM EST, 16 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 3:55 PM EST, 16 hours 5 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 4, 5:00 PM EST, 15 hours before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Emmet

When
March 5, 8:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Emmet forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
45.588, -84.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cheboygan

When
March 5, 8:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Cheboygan forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
45.473, -84.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mackinac

When
March 5, 9:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Mackinac forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC

Heavy Snow, Chippewa

When
March 5, 10:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, March 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: 5390163, 5390164, 5390162, 5390161.