A low pressure system brought heavy snow to much of southwestern lower Michigan from the 21st through the 22nd. Snow began during the morning hours of the 21st and continued into the early morning hours of the 22nd before gradually diminishing.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
A low pressure system brought heavy snow to much of southwestern lower Michigan from the 21st through the 22nd. Snow began during the morning hours of the 21st and continued into the early morning hours of the 22nd before gradually diminishing.
The heaviest snow fell during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 21st, when snowfall rates of two inches per hour were reported at some locations. The highest snowfall totals were received from Allegan, Van Buren and Kalamazoo counties, where over a foot of snow was reported at some locations. Eight to fourteen inches of snow fell south of a line from Holland to Jackson.
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 Mar 20, 11:10 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1210 AM EDT FRI MAR 21 2008 LATEST UPDATE...AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS...(1140 AM EDT THU MAR 20 2008) LOW PRESSURE OVER THE HIGH PLAINS OF WYOMING AND NEBRASKA TODAY WILL TRACK TO SOUTHWEST IOWA BY SUNRISE FRIDAY AND TO NEAR CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA BY SATURDAY MORNING. AS THE STORM TRACKS ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND INDIANA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING HEAVY SNOW IN THE 6 TO 10 INCH RANGE IS POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. THE HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO FALL IN A FAIRLY NARROW BAND SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM HOLLAND TO JACKSON. THERE SHOULD BE A SHARP CUT OFF IN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS NORTHEAST OF THAT LINE WITH AREAS FROM MUSKEGON TO LANSING ACCUMULATING ONLY 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW. NORTHERN PARTS OF SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN WILL SEE LITTLE IF ANY SNOW. .SHORT TERM...(1054 PM EDT THU MAR 20 2008) (TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT) 00Z NAM SHOWS CLOSE TO THE SAME PATH FOR THE SURFACE LOW FOR FRIDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER THE AXIS OF HEAVIER SNOW HAS SHIFTED SLIGHTLY FURTHER NORTH...FROM ROUGHLY THE CITY OF ALLEGAN TO JACKSON. SOME NORTHWARD ADJUSTMENT MAY BE NEEDED WITH THE CURRENT HEADLINES... HOWEVER WILL HOLD OFF FOR NOW TO SEE THE GFS...GEM AND EURO RUNS. MAIN FOCUS FOR THE SHORT TERM WAS BETTER DEFINING THE AMOUNTS AND LOCATION OF HEAVY SNOW FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE IN PRETTY FAIR AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK OF THE LOW BUT THE LOCATION OF HEAVIER SNOW AMOUNTS IS STILL IN QUESTION AS THIS LOOKS LIKE A LOCALIZED FRONTOGENETIC BAND WITH SOME GOOD ISENTROPIC FORCING GOING ON PARTICULARLY DURING THE MORNING HOURS FRIDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON 290K THETA CHART INDICATES GOOD CONVERGENCE INTO SW LOWER MI DURING THIS TIME. INITIALLY THIS WILL SERVE TO MOISTEN UP THE DRY AIR THAT WILL BE IN PLACE AS WINDS SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST OVERNIGHT. WILL ADD ALLEGAN AND BARRY COUNTIES TO THE WATCH AREA BASED ON THIS. THE STORM TRACK WILL ALSO ALLOW THIS STORM TO ADVECT GULF MOISTURE INTO LOWER GREAT LAKES SO SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE WETTER AND HEAVIER THAN WE NORMALLY SEE WITH RATIOS IN THE 10:1 RANGE. SNOWFALL TOTALS SHOULD WIND UP IN THE 6 TO 10 INCH RANGE SOUTHWEST OF A ALLEGAN TO JACKSON LINE...3 TO 5 INCHES NORTHEAST OF THAT LINE UP TO ABOUT A MUSKEGON TO CHARLOTTE LINE AND 1 TO 3 INCHES NORTHEAST OF THE MUSKEGON TO CHARLOTTE LINE WITH LITTLE IF ANY ACCUMULATIONS NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM HART TO ST JOHNS. && .LONG TERM...(415 PM EDT THU MAR 20 2008) (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) LOW PRESSURE EXPECTED TO BRING SNOW TO THE SRN PORTION OF THE CWFA FRI AND FRI NIGHT WILL BE EXITING THE REGION BY THE BEGINNING OF THE LONG TERM AT DAYBREAK SAT MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR THE DAY ON SAT...BRINGING A COOL AND DRY DAY TO THE AREA. MODELS ARE ALL IN AGREEMENT IN BRINGING A SHORT WAVE DOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST DURING THE DAY ON EASTER. MOISTURE IS NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE...AND IN COLLABORATION WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES WE HAVE DECIDED TO ONLY MENTION FLURRIES. HIGH PRESSURE THEN LOOKS TO BUILD IN OVER THE AREA AS THE UPPER TROUGH DIGS OVER THE EAST AND CYCLOGENESIS TAKES PLACE OFF THE EAST COAST. ONCE THIS TROUGH MOVES OFFSHORE...THE UPPER FLOW BECOMES A QUASI-ZONAL ACROSS THE CONUS. RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY AND AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MODELS HAS NOT BEEN GREAT AND CONFIDENCE IS LOW ATTM. THERE IS A POTENTIAL TO HAVE NUMEROUS SHORT WAVES RIDGING THIS ZONAL FLOW AND BRINGING A CHC OF PCPN TO THE AREA EACH DAY. TEMPS WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL...BUT ENOUGH DAYTIME HEATING WILL ALLOW FOR RAIN OR SNOW DURING THE DAY. && .AVIATION...(1210 AM EDT FRI MAR 21 2008) VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY MORNING. CLOUDS WILL LOWER AND THICKEN IN ADVANCE OF A SYSTEM MOVING OUR DIRECTION FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS. BY MORNING...THE HIGH LEVEL CIRRUS CURRENTLY IN PLACE WILL BE REPLACED BY ALTOCUMULUS AROUND 10000FT. SNOW SHOULD BREAK OUT IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON...OVERSPREADING MOST OF THE TAF SITES IN THE AFTERNOON. MVFR CEILINGS WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD IN FROM THE WEST TOMORROW AFTERNOON WITH CONDITIONS TRENDING QUICKLY TOWARD IFR TOMORROW EVENING AT THE SOUTHERN TAF SITES...AZO...BTL AND JXN. CONDITIONS WILL VARY FROM AZO TO LAN...WITH A SHARP GRADIENT TO THE SNOW IN BETWEEN. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF AND END OVERNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT. && .MARINE...(431 PM EDT THU MAR 20 2008) WEBCAMS ALONG THE COASTLINE SHOW A DIMINISHING TREND TO WAVE HEIGHTS. WINDS REMAIN UP AROUND 20 KNOTS...BUT WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING AND BECOME EASTERLY OVERNIGHT. BREEZY EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES SOUTH OF THE AREA ON FRIDAY. THE OFFSHORE COMPONENT ALONG WITH WINDS BELOW 25 KNOTS SHOULD KEEP CONDITIONS BELOW SMALL CRAFT CRITERIA. && .HYDROLOGY...(448 AM EDT THU MAR 20 2008) RIVERS ACROSS THE AREA REMAIN NEAR BANKFULL FOR THE NEXT 36 HOURS BUT NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...WINTER STORM WATCH FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT FOR ALLEGAN...BARRY...VAN BUREN...KALAMAZOO...CALHOUN AND JACKSON COUNTIES. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ENTIRE NEARSHORE TODAY THROUGH 5 PM. && SYNOPSIS: MWH SHORT TERM: MWH/JK LONG TERM: NJJ AVIATION: DUKE MARINE: MWH/NJJ HYDROLOGY: JK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 429 PM EDT THU MAR 20 2008 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-211015- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 429 PM EDT THU MAR 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A POTENTIAL SNOW STORM EXISTS FOR FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. THE REGION ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM HOLLAND TO JACKSON HAS THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR GREATER THAN 6 INCHES OF SNOW. LESSER AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED NORTH OF THE HOLLAND TO JACKSON LINE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LMZ844>849-211015- 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- 429 PM EDT THU MAR 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NJJ
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The seven inches of snow measured at the Muskegon airport was a record for the 21st of March, breaking the old record of 6.5 inches which was set in 1983.
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids reported that 6.6 inches of snow fell on the 21st, breaking the old record of 6.3 inches in 1983.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, March 2008
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: 87536, 89520, 89521, 89511, 89516, 89522, 89517, 89514, 89524, 89518.