Michigan, 2010

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 1, 2010

January 1, 2010 · NWS MQT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Arctic air moving across Lake Superior in a northwest flow generated locally heavy lake effect snow in the Ironwood area from December 31 into January 1st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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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.

Arctic air moving across Lake Superior in a northwest flow generated locally heavy lake effect snow in the Ironwood area from December 31 into January 1st.

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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 5:55 PM CST, 6 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 5:55 PM CST, 6 hours 5 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 2:35 PM CST, 9 hours 25 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Gogebic

When
January 1, 12:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where
Gogebic forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A spotter near Ironwood measured 15 inches of snow in 24 hours.

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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 209943.