Michigan, 2009

Extreme Cold in Michigan, January 14 to 18, 2009

January 14 to 18, 2009 · NWS DTX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

An arctic airmass become firmly established over the Great Lakes region on January 14th and persisted through the 18th. Temperatures fell below zero all four days, with wind chill values in the 5 to 30 below range during the majority of the time.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • 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
17

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 DTX wrote it up.

An arctic airmass become firmly established over the Great Lakes region on January 14th and persisted through the 18th. Temperatures fell below zero all four days, with wind chill values in the 5 to 30 below range during the majority of the time. Detroit's low temperatures for January 14-18th were as follows: -3, -3, -15, -11.

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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 6:29 PM EST, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 6:29 PM EST, 1 hour 31 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 14, 4:22 PM EST, 3 hours 38 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

17 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Midland

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Midland forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.647, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Bay

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Bay forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.721, -83.942 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Huron

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Huron forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.910, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Saginaw

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Saginaw forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.335, -84.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Tuscola

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Tuscola forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.491, -83.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sanilac

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Sanilac forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.443, -82.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Shiawassee

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Shiawassee forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.954, -84.147 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Genesee

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lapeer

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Lapeer forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, St. Clair

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
St. Clair forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.931, -82.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Livingston

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Oakland

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Oakland forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Macomb

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Macomb forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Washtenaw

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Washtenaw forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wayne

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lenawee

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Lenawee forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Monroe

When
January 14, 8:00 PM EST to January 18, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 149774, 149775, 149776, 149777, 149778, 149779, 149780, 149781, 149782, 149783, 149784, 149785, 149786, 149787, 149788, 149789, 149790.