Michigan, 2008

Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 21 to 22, 2008

December 21 to 22, 2008 · NWS APX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A slow-moving low pressure system crossed the Great Lakes region on the 21st. Two areas of heavy snow occurred.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
9

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 low pressure system crossed the Great Lakes region on the 21st. Two areas of heavy snow occurred. The first occurred in parts of Northeast Lower Michigan, as east winds off of Lake Huron enhanced snowfall at the start of the event. Rogers City picked up 8 inches of snow by mid-morning on the 21st. After that, very heavy snow developed in parts of Northwest Lower Michigan, on the northwest flank of the low pressure system. Wellston ended up with 23 inches of snow in 23 hours, while Meauwataka picked up 16 inches.

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 21, 12:10 AM EST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 21, 12:10 AM EST, 50 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 20, 4:56 PM EST, 8 hours 4 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
456 PM EST SAT DEC 20 2008

LHZ345>349-LMZ323-341-342-344>346-LSZ321-322-MIZ008-015>036-041-042-
211100-
STRAITS OF MACKINAC-ST IGNACE TO FALSE DETOUR CHANNEL-
MACKINAC BRDG TO PRESQUE ISLE LT-PRESQUE ISLE LT TO STURGEON PT-
STURGEON PT TO ALABASTER-GRAND TRAVERSE BAY-
SEUL CHOIX PT TO MACKINAC BRDG-NORWOOD TO MACKINAC BRDG-
SLEEPING BEAR PT TO GRAND TRAVERSE LT-PT BETSIE TO SLEEPING BEAR PT-
MANISTEE TO PT BETSIE-WHITEFISH BAY-ST. MARYS RIVER-CHIPPEWA-
MACKINAC-EMMET-CHEBOYGAN-PRESQUE ISLE-CHARLEVOIX-LEELANAU-ANTRIM-
OTSEGO-MONTMORENCY-ALPENA-BENZIE-GRAND TRAVERSE-KALKASKA-CRAWFORD-
OSCODA-ALCONA-MANISTEE-WEXFORD-MISSAUKEE-ROSCOMMON-OGEMAW-IOSCO-
GLADWIN-ARENAC-
456 PM EST SAT DEC 20 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN...
EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN...AND ADJACENT NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE
MICHIGAN...LAKE HURON AND LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

LAKE ENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES TONIGHT OVER
PORTIONS OF EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. IN
ADDITION...A BAND OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL WILL SWING UP THROUGH NORTHERN
MICHIGAN TONIGHT BRINGING A PERIOD OF HEAVY SNOW TO MOST AREAS. SEE
ONGOING WINTER WEATHER WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN
SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. IN ADDITION...GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL
DEVELOP THROUGH THE DAY PRODUCING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW BY
SUNDAY NIGHT. SEE ONGOING WINTER WEATHER WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

ANOTHER WINTER STORM IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS...PLEASE PASS ON SNOWFALL REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

ADAM

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 21, 12:33 AM EST, 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
1233 AM EST SUN DEC 21 2008

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

1232 AM     SNOW             1 N WELLSTON            44.23N 85.95W
12/21/2008  M1.3 INCH        MANISTEE           MI   CO-OP OBSERVER

            3 HR TOTAL THRU 1230 AM. SNOWDEPTH 16 INCHES.

&&

JZ

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Leelanau

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Leelanau forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.152, -86.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Benzie

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Benzie forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.617, -86.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grand Traverse

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Grand Traverse forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.716, -85.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kalkaska

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Manistee

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Manistee forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.238, -86.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wexford

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Wexford forecast zone
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
44.338, -85.578 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Missaukee

When
December 21, 1:00 AM EST to December 22, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Missaukee forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.337, -85.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Presque Isle

When
December 21, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Presque Isle forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.398, -83.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alpena

When
December 21, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Alpena forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
45.064, -83.460 (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 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2008

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: 147394, 147395, 147396, 147397, 147398, 147399, 147400, 147392, 147393.