Michigan, 2008

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 24, 2008

January 24, 2008 · NWS IWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A blast of arctic air flowed over the relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan to allow for the development of lake effect snow showers. One band in particular dropped heavy snow across portions of Berrien county.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 IWX wrote it up.

A blast of arctic air flowed over the relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan to allow for the development of lake effect snow showers. One band in particular dropped heavy snow across portions of Berrien county. Brisk winds also caused area of blowing and drifting as well as wind chills around 20 below zero.

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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 6:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 6:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 23, 6:33 AM EST, 17 hours 27 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 23, 6:08 PM EST, 5 hours 52 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 23, 9:59 PM EST, 2 hours 1 minute before
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Event by event

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Berrien

When
January 24, 12:00 AM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Berrien forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

Spotters in the Stevensville area reported a storm total accumulation of 8.6 inches, with nearly 6 inches of this falling within a 6 hour period.

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: 73365.