Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 1 to 2, 2009

Name: Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 1 to 2, 2009
Start: 2009-01-01T14:00
End: 2009-01-02T01:00
Location: Michigan

January 1 to 2, 2009 · NWS APX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Southwest winds off of Lake Michigan brought locally heavy snow to parts of Eastern Upper Michigan. An upper level disturbance enhanced snowfall during the afternoon and evening of New Years Day.

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 APX wrote it up.

Southwest winds off of Lake Michigan brought locally heavy snow to parts of Eastern Upper Michigan. An upper level disturbance enhanced snowfall during the afternoon and evening of New Years Day. Gould City picked up 5 inches of snow over a few hours late in the afternoon, and had 9 inches of new snow by late evening.

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 1, 12:38 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 12:38 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 1, 4:05 AM EST, 9 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
405 AM EST THU JAN 1 2009

LHZ345>349-LMZ323-341-342-344>346-LSZ321-322-MIZ008-015>036-041-042-
021100-
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-
405 AM EST THU JAN 1 2009

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

A PERIOD OF LAKE ENHANCED SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE STRAITS
AREA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. SEE ONGOING
WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION.

GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ON LAKE MICHIGAN TODAY THROUGH THIS
EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

ANOTHER PERIOD OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED LATE SATURDAY
NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.

YET ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE
IN THE WEDNESDAY TIME FRAME NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS...PLEASE RELAY SNOWFALL AND BLOWING SNOW REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

ADAM

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Mackinac

When: January 1, 2:00 PM EST to January 2, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Mackinac forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

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

Every storm in Michigan in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, January 2009

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: 148540.