Michigan, 2005

Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 15 to 16, 2005

December 15 to 16, 2005 · NWS APX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A slow moving area of low pressure southwest of Michigan provided an extended period of southeast winds to the region. Heavy lake enhanced snow off of Lake Huron pounded much of eastern Upper and northeast Lower Michigan on the night of the 14th through the 15th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
10

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 slow moving area of low pressure southwest of Michigan provided an extended period of southeast winds to the region. Heavy lake enhanced snow off of Lake Huron pounded much of eastern Upper and northeast Lower Michigan on the night of the 14th through the 15th. Eastern Chippewa and Mackinac Counties (mainly east of I-75) received about a foot of snow over a 24 hour period. In northeast Lower Michigan, the heavier snow waited for the daylight hours of the 15th, when 6 to 8 inches of fell east of M-33.

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 Dec 15, 4:30 AM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 4:30 AM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 15, 5:23 AM EST, 4 hours 37 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Mackinac

When
December 15, 10:00 AM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Mackinac forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Chippewa

When
December 15, 2:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Alpena

When
December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Alpena forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
45.064, -83.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alcona

When
December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Alcona forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
44.712, -83.344 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Iosco

When
December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Iosco forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.301, -83.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Presque Isle

When
December 15, 8:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Presque Isle forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
45.398, -83.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Montmorency

When
December 15, 8:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Montmorency forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
45.028, -84.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Oscoda

When
December 15, 8:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Oscoda forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.682, -84.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ogemaw

When
December 15, 8:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Ogemaw forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.335, -84.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Arenac

When
December 15, 8:00 PM EST to December 16, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Arenac forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.043, -83.747 (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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2005

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: 5482866, 5482865, 5482869, 5482871, 5482873, 5482867, 5482868, 5482870, 5482872, 5482874.