A band of heavy lake effect snow showers brought localized snowfall of 6 to 12 inches across the entire coastline of Van Buren county and also into extreme southwest Allegan county. The heavy lake effect snow was the result of the interaction of north northwest winds and arctic air already in place in conjunction with a weak trough of low pressure.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 GRR wrote it up.
A band of heavy lake effect snow showers brought localized snowfall of 6 to 12 inches across the entire coastline of Van Buren county and also into extreme southwest Allegan county. The heavy lake effect snow was the result of the interaction of north northwest winds and arctic air already in place in conjunction with a weak trough of low pressure.
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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 4, 12:50 AM EST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1250 AM EST MON JAN 4 2010 LATEST UPDATE...AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS...(350 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010) COLD TEMPERATURES AND OCCASIONAL LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL PREVAIL FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR MORE. A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MAY BRING SOME FLURRIES OR LIGHT SNOW TO MUCH OF LOWER MICHIGAN TONIGHT. A CLIPPER TYPE STORM MAY BRING SOME SNOW ON THURSDAY AS WELL. && .SHORT TERM...(350 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010) (TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT) MID LEVEL TROUGH/TROWAL EXTENDING WEST OF THE BIG CLOSED LOW OVER THE GULF OF MAINE WILL BRING ENOUGH MOISTURE AND LIFT FOR LIGHT SNOW TO OVERCOME VERY DRY LOW LEVEL AIR TONIGHT. WILL ALSO HAVE LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE COASTAL ZONES AS FLOW BACKS A LITTLE MORE NORTHWEST THIS EVENING. WENT WITH LIKELY POPS AFTER MIDNIGHT BUT KEPT QPF LIGHT INLAND WITH LESS THAN AN INCH...AND ANOTHER 1 TO LOCALLY 3 INCHES ALONG MASON...OCEANA...VAN BUREN AND ALLEGAN COUNTIES. MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS MOVES SOUTH BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH DEEP MOISTURE DEPARTING. LAKE EFFECT CONTINUES TO BE RESTRICTED TO NEAR THE COAST WITH FLOW ABOUT 330-350. THAT REMAINS THE STORY RIGHT ON THROUGH THE NEAR TERM. THEREFORE...DID NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE LATER PERIODS AND WILL KEEP HIGH POPS NEAR THE COAST AND LOW POPS INLAND. && .LONG TERM...(350 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010) (WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY) NO END IN SIGHT TO THE COLD AIR THROUGH AT LEAST NEXT WEEKEND. H8 TEMPS REMAIN -13 TO -16C AS A LONG WAVE TROUGH PERSISTS OVER THE EASTERN U.S. THE COLD CYCLONIC FLOW WILL ALSO CONTINUE INTO MID WEEK. THE MEAN FLOW IS STILL PROGGED TO BE 330-350 WED AND WED NIGHT...SO THE BEST LAKE EFFECT POTENTIAL WILL STILL RESIDE ALONG THE LAKE SHORE. A LIGHT SYNOPTIC SNOW IS EXPECTED THURSDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY AS AN UPPER LOW MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN LAKES. WINDS WILL TURN NNE DURING THIS PERIOD PUSHING ANY LAKE EFFECT OFFSHORE. NEXT WEEKEND LOOKS MUCH LIKE THE CURRENT WEEKEND...COLD WITH LES HUGGING THE COAST. WE COULD SEE MORE INFLUENCE FROM THE SURFACE HIGH OVER THE CENTRAL PART OF THE NATION...SO AT THIS POINT THE LES DOES NOT LOOK OVERLY IMPRESSIVE. LOWERED TEMPS SLIGHTLY DURING THE FRI THROUGH SAT TIME FRAME AS ANOTHER ARCTIC BLAST FOLLOWS THE DEPARTING UPPER LOW. && .AVIATION...(1250 AM EST MON JAN 4 2010) I KEPT THE GENERAL THEME OF -SN WITH BETTER THAN IFR CIGS AND VISBYS INTO THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. THE MKG VISBY SHOULD STAY P6SM AS THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BAND STAYS JUST OFFSHORE. ANY DEVIATION COULD DROP THIS SITE TO 2 OR 3SM...BUT DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT IN THE TAF BASED ON TRENDS. THERE IS GENERAL MODEL AGREEMENT THAT IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE A THREAT AFTER 12Z OR SO AS MOISTURE INCREASES. THE LOWEST CIGS LOOK TO BE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN TAFS BY THE 12Z-15Z TIME FRAME AND THERE IS A CHANCE THE VISBYS COULD BE LESS THAN THE 2SM INDICATED. ALTHOUGH THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT...IT MAY BE FINE ENOUGH IN TEXTURE TO REDUCE VISBYS TO IFR LEVELS. CONDITIONS MAY TAKE A LITTLE LONGER TO ESCAPE IFR FOR THE WESTERN TAFS...PERHAPS NOT UNTIL 23Z OR 00Z. WIND GUSTS IN THE 20 TO 25 KT RANGE AT TIMES ARE EXPECTED FOR ALL THE TERMINALS AT LEAST THROUGH THE LATE MORNING HOURS. WIND DIRECTION WILL REMAIN CONSISTENT...AT OR ABOUT 330 DEG. && .MARINE...(350 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010) SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH 7 PM TUESDAY AS WINDS WILL REMAIN IN THE 20 TO 30 KNOT RANGE. FREEZING SPRAY WILL CONTINUE AS COLD WEATHER CONTINUES. && .HYDROLOGY...(1217 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010) ICE WILL CONTINUE FORMING ON THE RIVERS THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK AS COLD WEATHER CONTINUES UNABATED. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH TUESDAY FROM ST JOE TO MANISTEE. && SYNOPSIS: OSTUNO SHORT TERM: OSTUNO LONG TERM: JK AVIATION: HOVING MARINE: OSTUNO HYDROLOGY: OSTUNO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1028 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-041045- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 1028 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN WITH LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR TWO LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A COLD WEEK IS EXPECTED WITH SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL COME ON FRIDAY THOUGH. THE COLD WEATHER WILL MAKE ICE JAMS AN INCREASING THREAT ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LMZ844>849-041045- ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI- HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI- WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI- 1028 PM EST SUN JAN 3 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NORTHERLY WINDS TO 30 KNOTS WILL CREATE WAVES THAT WILL BE HAZARDOUS TO SMALLER CRAFT. FREEZING SPRAY CAN ALSO BE ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY LARGE WAVES WILL PERSIST INTO TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. DUKE NJJ
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow accumulations of six to twelve inches were reported along the entire shoreline of Van Buren county. South Haven was particularly hard hit, where a foot of snow fell.
Localized snow accumulations of up to a foot were reported across extreme southwestern Allegan county near the Lake Michigan shoreline. There was even an isolated report of over sixteen inches of snow just south of the town of Glenn.
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, January 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: 212345, 212344.