Michigan, 2008

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, November 16 to 17, 2008

November 16 to 17, 2008 · NWS APX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Cold northwest winds moving across the relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan, produced locally heavy lake effect snow in parts of Northern Lower Michigan. Six to eight inches of snow fell in Alba, Mancelona, and between Elmira and Boyne City, on the night of the 16th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
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  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
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  • 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
4

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 northwest winds moving across the relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan, produced locally heavy lake effect snow in parts of Northern Lower Michigan. Six to eight inches of snow fell in Alba, Mancelona, and between Elmira and Boyne City, on the night of the 16th.

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 Nov 16, 6:15 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 16, 6:15 AM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 16, 4:59 AM EST, 4 hours 1 minute before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
459 AM EST SUN NOV 16 2008

LHZ345>349-LMZ323-341-342-344>346-LSZ321-322-MIZ008-015>036-041-042-
171300-
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-
459 AM EST SUN NOV 16 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...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ACCUMULATING LAKE EFFECT SNOW AND SLICK TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL
OCCUR ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN TODAY AND
TONIGHT. FOR FURTHER DETAILS...SEE ONGOING LAKE EFFECT SNOW
ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW ARE EXPECTED OVER
PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS...PLEASE RELAY SNOWFALL REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

SMD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 16, 8:52 AM EST, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
852 AM EST SUN NOV 16 2008

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

0850 AM     SNOW             EAST JORDAN             45.16N 85.13W
11/16/2008  M3.0 INCH        CHARLEVOIX         MI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            12 HR TOTAL THRU 9 AM. SNOWDEPTH 3 IN.

&&

KAS
Local storm report, Nov 16, 8:59 AM EST, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
859 AM EST SUN NOV 16 2008

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

0858 AM     SNOW             3 ESE ELMIRA            45.05N 84.79W
11/16/2008  M3.5 INCH        OTSEGO             MI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            12 HR TOTAL THRU 9 AM. SNOWDEPTH 3 IN.

&&

KAS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Charlevoix

When
November 16, 9:00 AM EST to November 17, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

Lake-Effect Snow, Antrim

When
November 16, 9:00 AM EST to November 17, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Antrim forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Otsego

When
November 16, 9:00 AM EST to November 17, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Otsego forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
45.021, -84.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Kalkaska

When
November 16, 9:00 AM EST to November 17, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, November 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: 138115, 138116, 138117, 138118.