Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 15 to 16, 2007

Name: Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 15 to 16, 2007
Start: 2007-12-15T19:00
End: 2007-12-16T17:00
Location: Michigan

December 15 to 16, 2007 · NWS GRR · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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: 20

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 GRR wrote it up.

A significant snow event occurred across much of lower Michigan, with snowfall totals generally ranging anywhere from around four to ten inches. The heaviest snowfall reports were received from the I-94 corridor, where around ten inches of snow fell at many locations. Around six to eight inches of snow fell in many spots near the I-96 corridor, and slightly lower snowfall amounts of four to six inches were reported northwest of Grand Rapids.

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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 15, 3:40 PM EST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 3:40 PM EST, 3 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
340 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007

LATEST UPDATE...ALL BUT AVIATION...

.SYNOPSIS...(340 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007)
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING NEAR MEMPHIS WILL TRACK TO NEAR TOLEDO ON
SUNDAY.  THIS WILL BE A MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR MUCH OF THE REGION.
THIS STORM WILL PULL AWAY FROM THE AREA LATER SUNDAY.  HIGH PRESSURE
WILL BUILD IN FOR MONDAY.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
THE TIMING OF THE HEAVY SNOW AND POTENTIAL FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES IN THE SHORT TERM. DECIDED TO START THE
WARNING EARLIER.  THE MAIN REASON IS THAT THE DRY SLOT IS NOT
EVOLVING AS FORECAST...WITH SOME HEAVY SNOW IN EASTERN IA AT 18Z.
RADAR TRENDS ACROSS EASTERN MO THROUGH IL SHOW INCREASING
PRECIPITATION COVERAGE.  VPZ WAS DOWN TO A HALF MILE AT  19Z.  THE
SURFACE LOW WAS NEAR MEM AT 19Z AND DEEPER THAN ANY MODEL. THIS LOW
SHOULD TRACK TO NEAR TOL...WHICH IS FAVORABLE FOR SW LOWER MI TO SEE
A WIDESPREAD WARNING EVENT. THE 18Z RUC AND NAM SUPPORT THIS TRACK.
STRONGER MID LEVEL FGEN SUPPORTS THE HEAVIEST SNOW SOUTHEAST OF A
LINE FROM BIV TO MOP.  LOCALLY IN EXCESS OF A FOOT COULD FALL.

WILL HOLD OFF ON A BLIZZARD WARNING.  WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE
LATER TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY. GUSTS OVER 30 MPH ARE LIKELY.  THE RECENT
RUC RUN SUGGESTS GUSTS WILL STAY UNDER BLIZZARD WARNING CRITERIA.
GIVEN THAT THE SNOW WILL BE RELATIVELY DRY...CONSIDERABLE BLOWING
AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW IS EXPECTED. EAST WEST ROADS SHOULD BE
ESPECIALLY HARD HIT...PERHAPS IMPASSABLE IN PLACES.

&&

.LONG TERM...(340 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007)
WILL NOT BE ADJUSTING THE LONG TERM SIGNIFICANTLY DUE TO THE PENDING
WINTER STORM IN THE SHORT TERM. MAIN WEATHER OF NOTE WILL BE SYSTEM
POTENTIALLY AFFECTING THE AREA THU THROUGH EARLY FRI. MODELS HAVE
WEAKENED THE SYSTEM FOR NOW AND MOVE IT OUT QUICKER. STILL LOOKS
LIKE IT COULD BE A RAIN MAKER...BUT HAVE LEFT THE MIX FOR NOW.
&&

.AVIATION...(1253 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007)
LIGHTER SNOW THAT HAS BEEN OCCASIONALLY FALLING AT THE TAF SITES
THIS MORNING IS BEGINNING TO SHIFT NORTH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND
WILL GIVE EACH OF THE SITES A RELATIVE LULL BEFORE THE HEART OF THE
STORM MOVES IN LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. MOST SITES
WILL SEE VFR VSBYS AND MVFR CIGS THROUGH AROUND 21Z IN THE LULL.
AREA OF LIGHT SNOW NOW DEVELOPING AND MOVING NORTH FROM INDIANA WILL
BEGIN TO LOWER VSBYS AND CIGS BEGINNING AROUND 20Z FOR KAZO...KBTL...
AND KJXN...AND MOVE NORTH THEREAFTER.

SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AFTER 03Z FOR THE SRN TAF
SITES AND SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE SITES BY 07Z. FROM THIS
PERIOD THROUGH AROUND 15Z SUN LOOKS TO BE THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WITH
VLIFR CIGS AND VSBYS EXPECTED IN MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW. WIND GUSTS
WILL PICK UP OVERNIGHT AND GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS WILL BE POSSIBLE BY
12Z. SNOW SHOULD TEND TO DIMINISH IN INTENSITY AFTER 15Z...BUT
BLOWING AND DRIFTING WILL KEEP VSBYS BELOW 1SM THROUGH THE END OF
THE PERIOD. WE HAVE BROUGHT CIGS UP A BIT ONCE THE HEAVIEST SNOW
MOVES OUT AFT 15Z.

&&

.MARINE...(340 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007)
WILL CONTINUE THE GALE WARNING FOR THE ENTIRE NEAR SHORE AS WINDS
INCREASE TO AT LEAST 35 KNOTS BY DAYBREAK SUNDAY AND CONTINUE INTO
SUNDAY NIGHT. RECENT RUC DATA SUGGESTS 40 KNOTS MAY BE TOPPED.
&&

.HYDROLOGY...(340 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007)
NO HYDRO ISSUES ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. NO RISE IN RIVER
AND TRIBUTARY LEVELS WILL OCCUR THIS WEEKEND GIVEN AIR TEMPS IN THE
MID TO UPPER 20S AND ONLY SNOW PREDICTED.

&&

.GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MI...WINTER STORM WARNING MOST OF SW LOWER MI THROUGH SUNDAY.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY NW OF A HARRISON TO WHITEHALL LINE
LATER TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY.
LM...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT STARTING DAYBREAK SUNDAY.

&&

SYNOPSIS:   MJS
SHORT TERM: MJS
LONG TERM:  NJJ
AVIATION:   NJJ
MARINE:     MJS
HYDROLOGY:  MJS

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 15, 2:52 PM EST, 4 hours 8 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
252 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007

MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-161115-
MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-
MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON-
INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON-
252 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS BY EVENING.
THE SNOW WILL BECOME HEAVY LATE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH
DAYBREAK ON SUNDAY. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE LIKELY SOUTHEAST
OF A LINE FROM HARRISON TO MUSKEGON.

NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THIS WILL CREATE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW. BLIZZARD-LIKE CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE AND WILL
REDUCE VISIBILITIES DOWN TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE AREA...ESPECIALLY
SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM MUSKEGON TO HARRISON. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED SOUTHEAST OF THE
LINE...WITH LOCALLY A FOOT OR MORE POSSIBLE. 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE
EXPECTED NORTHWEST OF THE MUSKEGON TO HARRISON LINE. SIGNIFICANT
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IS EXPECTED EVERYWHERE WITH BLIZZARD-LIKE
CONDITIONS POSSIBLE.

ANOTHER STORM MAY BRING MORE SNOW OR MIXED PRECIPITATION ON
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. SNOWFALL REPORTS ARE ALWAYS
APPRECIATED.

LMZ844>849-161115-
ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI-
HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI-
WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI-
252 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WAVES GREATER THAN FOUR FEET WILL POSE A HAZARD TO SMALL CRAFT
BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

WAVES GREATER THAN FOUR FEET WILL POSE A HAZARD TO SMALL CRAFT
INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. GALE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AND EARLY
SUNDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

NJJ

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 15, 5:23 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
523 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0505 PM     SNOW             PORTAGE                 42.20N 85.59W
12/15/2007  M1.0 INCH        KALAMAZOO          MI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORTED SEVERAL SLIDOFFS ON U.S. 131 SOUTH OF INTERSTATE
            94.

&&

IOD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Isabella

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Isabella forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.641, -84.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mecosta

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Mecosta forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.641, -85.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Newaygo

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Newaygo forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.554, -85.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clare

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Clare forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.988, -84.848 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Muskegon

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Muskegon forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Montcalm

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Montcalm forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.311, -85.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Gratiot

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Gratiot forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.293, -84.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ottawa

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kent

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Kent forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ionia

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Ionia forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.945, -85.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clinton

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Clinton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.944, -84.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Allegan

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Allegan forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Van Buren

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kalamazoo

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Kalamazoo forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.245, -85.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Calhoun

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.247, -85.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jackson

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.249, -84.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Barry

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Barry forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eaton

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Eaton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.596, -84.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ingham

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Ingham forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.597, -84.373 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Osceola

When: December 15, 7:00 PM EST to December 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Osceola forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.990, -85.325 (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

Every storm in Michigan in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, December 2007

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 71505, 71507, 71508, 71509, 71511, 71512, 71513, 71514, 71515, 71516, 71517, 71519, 71520, 71521, 71522, 71523, 71524, 71525, 71526, 71527.