A low pressure system moving from the Plains into Lower Michigan produced moderate to heavy snow over portions of central Upper Michigan from late evening on the 7th through the 8th.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 MQT wrote it up.
A low pressure system moving from the Plains into Lower Michigan produced moderate to heavy snow over portions of central Upper Michigan from late evening on the 7th through the 8th.
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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 7, 2:58 PM EST, 6 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 358 PM EDT WED APR 7 2010 .SYNOPSIS... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND RUC SHOWING LONGWAVE TROUGH STRETCHING FROM A LOW OVER NORTHERN QUEBEC TO A CLOSED LOW OVER EASTERN KANSAS. SHORTWAVES TROUGH EJECTING OUT OF THE BASE OF THE LONGWAVE ARE OVER SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN AND IOWA. SURFACE LOW DEPICTS A LOW OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS WITH A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDING EAST INTO NEW ENGLAND AND A COLD FRONT DRAPED SOUTHWEST INTO SOUTHERN TEXAS. A SURFACE RIDGE STRETCHES FROM WESTERN HUDSON BAY SOUTHWEST TO A HIGH OVER GREAT BASIN. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FIRING ALONG THE FRONTAL SYSTEM. && .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND THURSDAY)... A MID LEVEL TROUGH THAT EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL QUEBEC ACROSS NORTHERN ONTARIO TO A LOW OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN TONIGHT. A MID LEVEL RIDGE WILL ALSO TRACK FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES INTO THE HIGH PLAINS AND CANADIAN PRAIRIES. THE SURFACE LOW OVER LOWER MICHIGAN WILL RELOCATE OVER THE LOWER GREAT LAKES. DEEP WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WILL STAY TO THE SOUTHEAST AND EAST OF THE LOW AND IN THE VICINITY OF THE SHORTWAVE. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING...SO WE SHOULD SEE THE RAIN CHANGING OVER TO SNOW. A THERMAL TROUGH AT 925MB WILL BRING TEMPERATURES OVER THE FORECAST AREA DOWN TO -5C WHICH WILL HELP DENDRITIC GROWTH AND PRODUCE MAINLY SNOW OVER LATE TONIGHT ALONG THE MICHIGAN SHORE. THE MID LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN ON THURSDAY TO THE EASTERN U.P. THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL SETTLE OVER THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD. SO I AM LOOKING FOR DRYING OVER THE WEST AND A LINGERING SHOWERS TO CONTINUED OVER THE EAST. COLD TEMPERATURES WILL AID IN SNOWFALL PRODUCTION OVER THE FOR EASTERN U.P. UPSLOPE WITH THE NORTHERLY WINDS WILL ALSO GENERATE A FEW FLURRIES OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL U.P. .LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY)... UPPER LEVEL PATTERN BEGINS THE PERIOD WITH DEEP TROUGH OVR THE UPR GREAT LAKES AND RIDGE BUILDING FM THE ROCKIES/CNTRL PLAINS INTO SCNTRL CANADA. TWEAKED POPS/WX FOR THE THU NIGHT PERIOD AS UPR TROUGH IS NOW EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE PHASED THU INTO THU NIGHT. PRIMARY RESULT OF THIS IS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SYNOPTIC SNOW TO LINGER OVR FAR ERN CWA AND ALSO POTENTIAL FOR LK EFFECT SHSN OVR NCNTRL CWA. EVEN THOUGH THIS PERIOD IS 24-36 HR AWAY...THERE ARE LARGE DIFFERENCES IN LATEST ROUND OF GUIADANCE. GFS/CANADIAN ARE FARTHEST WEST WITH UPR/MID LEVEL LOW AND ASSOCIATED SWATH OF QPF. IN FACT...GFS INDICATES WIDESPREAD PCPN AS FAR WEST AS MQT-MUNISING ON THU EVENING. OTHER SIDE OF SPECTRUM IS NAM/SREF WHICH ONLY GRAZE FARTHEST EAST CWA WITH QPF. COMPROMISE SOLN SETTLED ON IS THE 00Z AND 12Z ECMWF WHICH KEEPS THE MID LEVEL CIRCULATION AND DEFORMATION QPF MAX JUST EAST OF THE CWA. YET...USING BOTH ECMWF/NAM SOLNS THERE IS ENOUGH SUPPORT TO INTRODUCE POPS OVR NCNTRL CWA WITH MOIST CYCLONIC NRLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW AND -10C H85 TEMPS COLD ENOUGH FOR LAKE ENHANCEMENT (LK SUPERIOR WATER TEMPS AROUND +3C) AS THERE IS SOME DEEP MOISTURE OVR EASTERN HALF OF UPR MI. QPF/SNOW OVR NCNTRL CWA IN THIS FCST REMAINS MINIMAL AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER...COULD END UP SEEING MORE SNOW IF THE SYSTEM TRENDS EVER SO SLIGHTLY NORTHWEST THE NEXT 12-24 HR. A FARTHER NW SYSTEM CANNOT COMPLETELY BE RULED OUT AS STRONG SHORTWAVE DIGGING SOUTH ACROSS MN IS GOING TO TRY AND PHASE WITH SRN STREAM WAVE CROSSING THE WRN GREAT LAKES. GFS IS THE ONLY MODEL THAT EXPLICITLY INDICATES SUCH A SCENARIO. ANY PCPN WILL BE FINISHED BY DAYBREAK FRIDAY AS RIDGING BEGINS TO TAKE HOLD. COLDER NW FLOW IN THE WAKE OF THE SYSTEM SO TRIMMED HIGHS ON FRIDAY OVR THE EAST. COULD BE GOOD DEAL OF STRATOCU IN THE MORNING FOR THE CNTRL AND EAST...BUT GRADUALLY SKIES SHOULD CLEAR AS THE THERMAL TROUGH EXITS EAST. RIDGING CONTINUES TO TAKE HOLD LEADING TO A MAINLY DRY FCST THROUGH THE WEEKEND ALTHOUGH A BRIEF BOUT OF WARM AIR ADVECTION AND A SFC-H85 TROUGH PASSAGE MAY BRING LGT RAIN/SPRINKLES TO CWA ON SATURDAY. RIDGE CONTINUES TO PERSIST INTO MONDAY. WARM FRONT IS THEN FCST TO DEVELOP FM NRN PLAINS TO UPR MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY BY MONDAY. EARLIER RUNS OF THE GFS/CANADIAN INDICATED THE WARM FRONT MOVES OVR THE CWA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AND SHOWED QUITE A BIT OF QPF OVR NRN WI INTO UPR MI. GFS NOW IS A BIT DRIER...WHILE THE CANADIAN MAINTAINS THE WETTER SOLN. LAST TWO RUNS OF THE ECMWF ARE MUCH DRIER AS THEY KEEP THE WARM FRONT TO THE SOUTH AND WEST. HAVE SIDED IN KEEPING DRIER WX INTO MONDAY WITH VERY DRY AIR ALOFT TO BEGIN THE DAY PER THE ECMWF. ALSO...AM LEARY OF THE MORE BULLISH QPF FM THE GFS AND CANADIAN AS THESE MODELS SEEM TO BE LIFTING THE FRONT TOO FAR NORTH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SIMILAR SITUATION TO WHAT JUST OCCURRED WHEN MAJORITY OF GUIDANCE WAS SHOWING WARM FRONT THIS IS CURRENTLY WELL TO THE SOUTH OF HERE LIFTING INTO UPR MI WITH WIDESPREAD QPF. ALTHOUGH FAR S/SE CWA DID RECEIVE RAINFALL THE LAST 24-36 HR...THE IDEA OF WIDESPREAD QPF WAS OFF THE MARK. GIVEN THESE TRENDS AND SINCE MOST CWA HAS BEEN WITHIN A SIGNIFICANT DRY SPELL SINCE LAST MONTH...WENT WITH DRIER SCENARIO SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. PRIME MOISTURE ADVECTION AT THE SFC AND H85 DEVELOPS MORE TO THE WEST OF UPR MI MONDAY ALONG AXIS OF STRONGER LOW-LEVEL SRLY WINDS. EXPECT MOST PCPN TO STAY OUT OF THE CWA. RIDGE BUILDS ALOFT SHARPLY AND SRLY WINDS BECOME MORE SW MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY WHICH SHOULD ALLOW THE SFC WARM FRONT TO LIFT THROUGH UPR MI. AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE AREA SOME PCPN MAY OCCUR. SINCE THE BETTER FORCING STAYS NORTH AND WEST OF UPR LAKES ONLY FCST LOW CHANCE POPS. TEMPS WILL BE TRICKY BOTH TUE AND WED AS WARM AIR ALOFT COULD GET TAPPED ONCE FRONT MOVES THROUGH. BASED ON MIXING TO 925MB-850MB TEMPS MAY REACH WELL INTO THE 70S ON TUESDAY. HINT OF BOUNDARY WORKING BACK THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY AS HEIGHTS NORTH OF LK SUPERIOR SLIGHTLY LOWER. WITH THE BOUNDARY POTENTIALLY IN THE AREA WENT WITH BLEND OF HPC GUIDANCE AND ECMWF...WARMEST IN THE INTERIOR AWAY FM LK SUPERIOR. && .AVIATION /FOR THE 18Z TAFS/... ALTHOUGH THERE WL BE QUITE A BIT OF MID/HI CLD THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST AT CMX/SAW WITH LOW LEVEL DRY AIR KEEPING AREA OF RAIN AND LOWER CEILING AND VISIBILITY TO THE SOUTH. A LOW LEVEL JET OVER THE HAS CAUSE GUSTY CONDITIONS OVER CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND KSAW. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH A BIT TONIGHT WITH NOCTURNAL COOLING AND SOME STABILIZATION. ALTHOUGH THE NORTH WIND WILL BE A FAVORABLE UPSLOPE FOR KSAW...THE INCOMING AIRMASS APPEARS TOO DRY FOR APPRECIABLE LAKE SC. && .MARINE /FOR THE 4 PM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST/... LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE OUT OF MISSOURI TODAY AND INTO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES BY THURSDAY EVENING. NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS OVER LAKE SUPERIOR OF 30 KNOTS WILL BLOW AT TIMES...MAINLY OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL AND EASTERN AREAS. WINDS WILL DIMINISH BELOW 25 KNOTS ON FRIDAY EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. THEREAFTER WINDS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN BELOW 20 KNOTS AS HIGH PRESSURE LINGERS OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...DLG SHORT TERM...DLG LONG TERM...JLA AVIATION...DLG MARINE...DLG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 355 PM EDT WED APR 7 2010 MIZ001>005-009>013-084-081200- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-GOGEBIC- IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN HOUGHTON- 355 PM EDT WED APR 7 2010 /255 PM CDT WED APR 7 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. MIZ006-007-014-085-081200- ALGER-LUCE-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 355 PM EDT WED APR 7 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS A POTENTIAL OF MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY EAST OF A LINE FROM MUNISING TO MANISTIQUE. HEAVIER SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED OVER FAR EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-081200- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO GRAND PORTAGE MN BEYOND 5NM-SAXON HARBOR WI TO BLACK RIVER MI- BLACK RIVER TO ONTONAGON MI- ONTONAGON TO UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO EAGLE RIVER MI- EAGLE RIVER TO MANITOU ISLAND MI- MANITOU ISLAND TO POINT ISABELLE MI- POINT ISABELLE TO LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO HURON ISLANDS MI INCLUDING KEWEENAW AND HURON BAYS-HURON ISLANDS TO MARQUETTE MI- MARQUETTE TO MUNISING MI-MUNISING TO GRAND MARAIS MI- GRAND MARAIS TO WHITEFISH POINT MI- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER INCLUDING ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL TO MANITOU ISLAND MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR EAST OF A LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO WHITEFISH POINT MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- 355 PM EDT WED APR 7 2010 /255 PM CDT WED APR 7 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-081200- GREEN BAY NORTH OF LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-SEUL CHOIX POINT TO POINT DETOUR MI- 5NM EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRPORT MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE- 355 PM EDT WED APR 7 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JLA
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Observers throughout much of Delta County measured a widespread four to seven inches of wet heavy snow in less than 24 hours.
A widespread three to five inches of wet snow was reported across Menominee County from the evening of the 7th into the morning of the 8th.
The observer near Cooks measured 4.5 inches of wet snow in less than 12 hours.
The observer near Norway measured four inches of wet snow in 12 hours.
A National Weather Service employee measured ten inches of storm total snowfall. The heavy snow also contributed to hazardous driving conditions and poor visibility at times.
The observer in Munising measured 6.5 inches of wet snow in less than 24 hours.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 2010
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: 223349, 225137, 225139, 225138, 223347, 223348.