Michigan, 2010

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 27 to 28, 2010

January 27 to 28, 2010 · NWS APX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Very cold westerly winds produced isolated heavy accumulations of lake effect snow. East Jordan, Boyne Falls, and Vanderbilt all picked up 5 to 8 inches of snow, mainly on the day and night of the 27th.

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.

  • 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
3

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.

Very cold westerly winds produced isolated heavy accumulations of lake effect snow. East Jordan, Boyne Falls, and Vanderbilt all picked up 5 to 8 inches of snow, mainly on the day and night of the 27th. Parts of Chippewa County got into it that night, with 5 to 6 inches near Paradise. Blowing and drifting snow persisted into the day on the 28th.

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 27, 9:37 AM EST, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 27, 9:37 AM EST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 27, 4:52 AM EST, 7 hours 8 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
452 AM EST WED JAN 27 2010

LHZ345>349-LMZ323-341-342-344>346-LSZ321-322-MIZ008-015>036-041-042-
281100-
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-
452 AM EST WED JAN 27 2010

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 HEAVIER LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS AND GREATLY REDUCED
VISIBILITIES WILL OCCUR TONIGHT...WITHIN THE SNOWBELTS OF EASTERN
UPPER AND NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

HEAVIER LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS AND GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES
WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...WITHIN THE SNOWBELTS OF
EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.

SUBSTANTIALLY COLDER AIR WILL SPILL INTO THE REGION TO ROUND OUT
THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK...ESPECIALLY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. DURING
THIS TIME EXPECT DAYTIME TEMPERATURES TO ONLY REACH THE TEENS AT
BEST...AND WIND CHILL READINGS RANGING FROM O TO 15 BELOW AT
TIMES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS...PLEASE RELAY SNOWFALL REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

ADAM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Charlevoix

When
January 27, 12:00 PM EST to January 28, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee

Lake-Effect Snow, Otsego

When
January 27, 12:00 PM EST to January 28, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Otsego forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
45.021, -84.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Chippewa

When
January 27, 8:00 PM EST to January 28, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 211624, 211625, 211623.