Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Houghton
- When
- December 17, 6:00 AM EST to December 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Houghton forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 17 to 18, 2005
A low pressure trough from central Canada helped to focus heavy lake-effect snow showers over northwest Upper Michigan on the 17th and 18th. Storm total accumulations through the morning of the 18th included 19 inches at Calumet, 14 inches at Phoenix and 14 inches at Rockland in Ontonagon County.
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 MQT wrote it up.
A low pressure trough from central Canada helped to focus heavy lake-effect snow showers over northwest Upper Michigan on the 17th and 18th. Storm total accumulations through the morning of the 18th included 19 inches at Calumet, 14 inches at Phoenix and 14 inches at Rockland in Ontonagon County.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Lake-Effect Snow, Ontonagon
- When
- December 17, 6:00 AM EST to December 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Ontonagon forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Keweenaw
- When
- December 17, 11:00 AM EST to December 18, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Keweenaw forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Lake-Effect Snow
- Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in Texas, December 17 to 20, 2005
- High Wind in Washington, December 17 to 18, 2005
- Heavy Rain in California, December 17 to 22, 2005
- Winter Weather in Kansas, December 17 to 18, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 17, 2005
- Winter Weather in Kansas, December 17 to 18, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Utah, December 17 to 20, 2005
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, December 17 to 20, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, December 17 to 18, 2005
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 17 to 20, 2005
- Flood in American Samoa, December 17, 2005
- Heavy Rain in Florida, December 17, 2005
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: 5483818, 5483820, 5483819.