Michigan, 2008

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 22 to 23, 2008

January 22 to 23, 2008 · NWS APX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Cold and gusty west winds brought locally heavy lake effect snow off of Lake Michigan. Boyne Falls picked up eight inches of snow during the day and night of the 22nd, while Petoskey received six inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Cold and gusty west winds brought locally heavy lake effect snow off of Lake Michigan. Boyne Falls picked up eight inches of snow during the day and night of the 22nd, while Petoskey received six inches. Considerable blowing and drifting snow also occurred.

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 Jan 21, 3:42 PM EST, 20 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 3:42 PM EST, 20 hours 18 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 21, 4:11 PM EST, 19 hours 49 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Emmet

When
January 22, 12:00 PM EST to January 23, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Emmet forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
45.588, -84.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Charlevoix

When
January 22, 12:00 PM EST to January 23, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 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: 78015, 78016.