Lake effect snow developed across far western lower Michigan behind another Alberta clipper system which moved through the area. Up to 20 inches of snow fell across portions of Van Buren county in less than 24 hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS GRR wrote it up.
Lake effect snow developed across far western lower Michigan behind another Alberta clipper system which moved through the area. Up to 20 inches of snow fell across portions of Van Buren county in less than 24 hours.
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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 6, 10:28 PM EST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1028 PM EST WED DEC 6 2006 .UPDATE... LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS THE ARCTIC FRONT STRETCHING FROM NEAR ROCKFORD ILLINOIS ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. TEMPS ARE IN THE LOWER 20S BEHIND THE FRONT AND NEAR 30 AHEAD OF IT IN THE THE SOUTHERN CWA. REGIONAL RADARS SHOW SNOW INCREASING IN COVERAGE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AS ARCTIC AIR FLOWS INTO THE REGION. CURRENTLY...SNOWFLAKE SIZE IS PRETTY SMALL. BUT BUFKIT SHOWS THE SNOW GROWTH REGION IS JUST BEGINNING TO SATURATE AND INVERSTION HEIGHTS ARE BEGINNING TO RISE. THIS SHOULD INCREASE SNOWFLAKE SIZE. BUFKIT ALSO SHOWS AN OMEGA BULLSEYE IN THE SNOWGROWTH REGION AROUND 08Z...SO LOOK FOR SNOW TO BE LOCALLY HEAVY AROUND THAT TIME. WE/LL LEAVE HEADLINES AS IS. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD FOR NOW. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...GALE WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT INTO THU NIGHT FOR OSCEOLA LAKE MASON OCEANA ALLEGAN AND VAN BUREN COUNTIES. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THU EVENING FOR CLARE MECOSTA NEWAYGO MUSKEGON OTTAWA AND KALAMAZOO COUNTIES. && 93
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 732 PM EST WED DEC 6 2006 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-071045- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 732 PM EST WED DEC 6 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE ARCTIC FRONT AROUND MIDNIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THE LAKESHORE. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL ALSO CREATE BLOWING SNOW CONDITIONS WHICH WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES BELOW A MILE AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW THURSDAY...MAINLY WEST OF US-131. INLAND OF US-131 THE SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE OF A MORE SCATTERED NATURE. IN EXCESS OF 8 INCHES IS EXPECTED WHERE THE BANDS PERSIST. WIND GUSTS WILL TOP 30 MPH AT TIMES THURSDAY. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW IS EXPECTED. SNOW RATES OF AN INCH OR MORE PER HOUR WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST BANDS. THE SNOW SHOWERS WILL COME TO AN END BY MID DAY FRIDAY AS WARMER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD...BUT SNOWFALL REPORTS WILL BE HELPFUL TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. LMZ844>849-071045- ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND- HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL- WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE- 732 PM EST WED DEC 6 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT WAVES OF 4 FEET OR HIGHER ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES. NORTHWEST GALES TO 35 KNOTS WILL COMBINE WITH THE ARCTIC AIR TO PRODUCE FREEZING SPRAY. THESE CONDITIONS ARE HAZARDOUS FOR SMALL WATER CRAFT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WAVES OF 4 FEET OR HIGHER ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY IN THE NEAR SHORE WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. SNOW SHOWERS WILL LOCALLY REDUCE VISIBILITY INTO FRIDAY. THESE CONDITIONS ARE HAZARDOUS FOR SMALL WATER CRAFT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Eight to twelve inches of snow was reported.
Eight to twelve inches of snow was reported.
Six to ten inches of snow was reported.
Six to nine inches of snow was reported.
Ten to fourteen inches of snow was reported near the Lake Michigan shoreline in southwest Ottawa county.
Ten to fourteen inches of snow was reported near the Lake Michigan shoreline in far western Allegan county.
Up to 20 inches of snow was reported near the Lake Michigan shoreline in far western Van Buren county in the communities of Bloomingdale and Grand Junction.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2006
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 8456, 8457, 8459, 8460, 8464, 8467, 8469.