Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Houghton
- When
- December 30, 10:00 AM EST to December 31, 7:00 AM 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 30 to 31, 2005
A strong Alberta clipper system brought heavy lake-enhanced snowfall to northwest Upper Michigan on the 30th and 31st. Storm total snowfall included 12 inches near the village of Ontonagon and at Calumet and 11 inches at Phoenix.
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 strong Alberta clipper system brought heavy lake-enhanced snowfall to northwest Upper Michigan on the 30th and 31st. Storm total snowfall included 12 inches near the village of Ontonagon and at Calumet and 11 inches at Phoenix.
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, Keweenaw
- When
- December 30, 10:00 AM EST to December 31, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Keweenaw forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Ontonagon
- When
- December 30, 10:00 AM EST to December 31, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ontonagon forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.778, -89.305 (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
- Flooding in California, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Flood in Oregon, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Debris Flow in Oregon, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Winter Weather in Colorado, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Winter Storm in Maine, December 30, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 30, 2005
- Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, December 30, 2005
- High Wind in California, December 30, 2005
- Winter Storm in California, December 30 to 31, 2005
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 30 to 31, 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5483940, 5483941, 5483942.