Michigan, 2010

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 25, 2010

December 25, 2010 · NWS MQT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An upper level disturbance enhanced lake effect snow showers in Ontonagon on Christmas day. Heavy snow amounts of up to eight inches were reported.

Where it happened

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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 MQT wrote it up.

An upper level disturbance enhanced lake effect snow showers in Ontonagon on Christmas day. Heavy snow amounts of up to eight inches were reported.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Ontonagon

When
December 25, 5:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Ontonagon forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Observers from Ontonagon to Silver City and White Pine measured seven to eight inches of snow in less than an eight-hour period.

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 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2010

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 274018.