Locally six to nine inches of snow fell along coastal sections of Allegan and Ottawa Counties Thursday afternoon. The heaviest amounts were in the Holland area.
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.
Locally six to nine inches of snow fell along coastal sections of Allegan and Ottawa Counties Thursday afternoon. The heaviest amounts were in the Holland area. The snow was light with snow-ratios greater than 20 to 1. The snow was associated with a single lake effect snow band that formed in westerly flow ahead of a weak wave of low pressure that passed north of the area Thursday evening.
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 13, 6:55 AM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 655 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011 LATEST UPDATE...AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS...(406 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011) A SERIES OF CLIPPERS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED THURSDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SOME MINOR ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY NORTHWEST OF GRAND RAPIDS. && .SHORT TERM...(406 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011) FORECAST CONCERNS DEAL WITH SNOW POTENTIAL THROUGH THE PERIOD. LATEST RADAR SHOWS SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUING ACROSS THE WRN CWA. AS WINDS SLOWLY BACK TO THE WEST THE SHSN ARE MOVING INLAND. INSTABILITY OVER THE LAKE WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR LIGHT SHSN TODAY AS WINDS BACK EVENTUALLY TO THE SOUTHWEST AHEAD OF TONIGHT/S CLIPPER. MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TOO AHEAD OF THE WAVE SO I DON/T THINK THE SHSN WILL TOTALLY SHUT DOWN. NEVERTHELESS...THE LACK OF STRONG OMEGA WILL LIKELY PRECLUDE ACCUMULATIONS EXCEPT IN VERY LOCALIZED AREAS WHERE AN INCH OR TWO MAY BE POSSIBLE. LATEST WV IMAGERY SHOWS TONIGHT/S CLIPPER IS NOW MOVING OVER NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. IR LOOP SHOWS ENHANCED CLOUD TOPS INDICATIVE OF WARM AIR ADVECTION AHEAD OF IT. AS THE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS NRN LWR...WE/LL SEE PCPN DEVELOP THIS EVENING. MIXING RATIOS JUST OVER 1G/KG SUGGEST A 1 TO 2/3 INCH SNOWFALL. HOWEVER...IN THE NW CWA WE/LL PROBABLY SEE SOME LAKE ENHANCEMENT WITH THE SW WINDS AND H8 TEMPS AROUND -13C. SO IT/S POSSIBLE 2-4 INCHES...OR MAYBE A BIT MORE...WILL FALL NORTH OF GRAND RAPIDS AND WEST OF US-131. SNOW WILL DIMINISH FRIDAY MORNING. HOWEVER SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF YET ANOTHER CLIPPER WILL KEEP SHSN GOING OVER THE NW CWA. A STRONGER CLIPPER WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CWA LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND AND EARLY SATURDAY. ANOTHER COUPLE OF INCHES IS EXPECTED WITH HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE NW CWA. NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND THE CLIPPER WILL LIKELY BEING SOME MORE SHSN TO THE CWA SATURDAY AFTERNOON. && .LONG TERM...(406 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011) (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN FORECAST BY THE MODELS OVER THE NEXT WEEK SEEMS REASONABLE AND IS BELIEVABLE. WHERE PROBLEMS FOR OUR FORECAST COME IN IS IN THE DETAILS. THE LATEST RUNS OF THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE MORE SIMILAR THEN DISSIMILAR FOR LOWER MICHIGAN. THE SHORT STORY IS TEMPERATURES NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WITH SOME SNOW EACH DAY. OUR MAIN PROBLEM REMAINS THE ANOMALOUSLY STRONG BLOCKING UPPER HIGH NORTHWEST OF ALASKA THAT CONTINUES TO SLOWLY RETROGRADE WHILE INTERACTING WITH A DEEP STORM CIRCULATION OVER THE EUROPEAN SIDE OF THE POLE. THAT CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THE COLDEST AIR OVER THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE WILL CROSS THE POLE EARLY IN WEEKEND AND HEAD SOUTH TOWARD SOUTHERN CANADA. MEANWHILE AN EXTENDED EAST ASIAN JET CROSSES THE DATELINE NEAR 40N BY MONDAY (WITH SPEEDS NEAR 200 KNOTS AT ITS CORE). SO THE STAGE IS SET FOR SOME SORT OF CONFLICT BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN STREAM AND NORTHERN STREAM OVER THE CONUS NEXT WEEK. THAT PART OF THE PICTURE HAS BEEN IN THE MODELS FOR OVER A WEEK NOW. ONCE AGAIN IT IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS WILL ALL PLAY OUT THAT CREATES OUR FORECAST PROBLEM. A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES ON THE PRIMARY POLAR JET WILL CONTINUE TO INTERACT WITH THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE COLD AIR OVER MICHIGAN AND THE WARMER AIR OVER THE LOWER OHIO AND TENNESSEE VALLEYS. THESE WILL BRING LAKE ENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. NONE OF THOSE SYSTEMS SHOULD GIVE US MUCH IN THE WAY OF MEANINGFUL SNOWFALL. THAT IS DUE TO CONSTANTLY SHIFTING WINDS WITH BOTH HEIGHT AND TIME. THAT WILL KEEP ANY CONSISTENT HEAVY SNOW BANDS FROM FORMING AND HENCE LIMIT THE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS. THE MAIN WEATHER SHOW FOR US STARTS TUESDAY WHEN THE FIRST PART OF THE JET MAX ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST ASIAN JET GETS INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THAT WILL BE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THAT ARCTIC STREAM WILL BE BRINGING THAT DENSE ARCTIC AIR FROM NORTHERN SIBERIA SOUTH INTO SOUTHERN CANADA VIA AN NORTHERN STREAM JET CORE. THERE IS SOME HINT OF PHASING AND IF THAT HAPPENS THIS COULD RESULT IN MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. THE DENSE ARCTIC AND AND LAKE EFFECT WOULD FOLLOW THAT. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS AS IT COULD BE A MAJOR WINTER STORM FOR THIS AREA. IT MAY BE AN EXTENDED EVENT TOO WHEN WE FOLD THE LAKE EFFECT INTO IT TOO. && .AVIATION...(655 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011) THE NORTHWEST FLOW LAKE EFFECT IS BEING ENHANCED BY A SHORTWAVE THAT IS CURRENTLY CROSSING LAKE MICHIGAN. THAT SHORTWAVE IS THE BACK EDGE OF THE DEEP COLD AIR. ONCE THAT EXITS THE AREA DURING THE MID MORNING THE INVERSION HEIGHT FALLS FROM 7000 FT AGL TO 4000 FT AGL AND THE LAKE CLOUD LAYER WIND BECOMES MORE WESTERLY. THAT DECREASES THE FETCH. ALL OF THAT TELLS ME THE SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD WEAKEN CONSIDERABLY BY LATE THIS MORNING. SO I ENDED THE SNOW SHOWERS AT ALL TAF SITES BY 16Z. THE NEXT SHORTWAVE IS FOLLOWING THE CURRENT ONE QUICKLY. IT SHOULD BEGIN IMPACTING THE CWA BY LATE AFTERNOON. INVERSION HEIGHTS INCREASE... THE MOISTURE BECOMES DEEP AND WITH SOUTH SOUTHWEST FLOW SNOW WILL BE ENHANCED AT MKG WHERE IS WILL SNOW WITH IFR CONDITIONS MOST OF THE NIGHT. ELSEWHERE THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF WARM ADVECTION SNOW IN THE MID EVENING. THE SHALLOW INVERSION ASSOCIATED WITH THE WARM FRONT SHOULD RESULT IN IFR CIGS OVERNIGHT. && .MARINE...(406 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011) EXTENDED THE SCA THROUGH TODAY. WAVES WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA THIS AFTERNOON. && .HYDROLOGY...(406 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011) NO MAJOR ICE JAMS YET...BUT SOME FLUCTUATIONS WERE NOTED ON AREA RIVERS. WE PROBABLY WON/T SEE MUCH MORE ICE BUILDUP FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS AVERAGE TEMPS WILL BE JUST ABOVE 20. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY FROM ST JOE TO MANISTEE. && SYNOPSIS: 93 SHORT TERM: 93 LONG TERM: WDM AVIATION: WDM MARINE: 93 HYDROLOGY: 93
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1135 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-141030- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 1135 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS NEAR AND WEST OF US-131 WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON. ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE AN INCH OR LESS. A CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL BRING A GENERAL 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW TO THE AREA TONIGHT. HOWEVER AREAS WEST OF US-131 AND NORTH OF MUSKEGON COULD SEE AS MUCH AS 4 INCHES BY MORNING. ICE WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ON AREA RIVERS. WATER LEVELS MAY FLUCTUATE IN AREAS PRONE TO ICE JAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE WEST OF US-131 AND NORTH OF SOUTH HAVEN FRIDAY. ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE AN INCH OR LESS. ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL BRING ANOTHER SOUTHWEST FLOW LAKE EVENT TO AREAS WEST OF US-131 AND NORTH OF GRAND HAVEN WITH 3 TO 5 INCHES POSSIBLE BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE EXPECT 1 TO 3 INCHES... MOSTLY DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY. A SIGNIFICANT SNOW STORM IS POSSIBLE FOR THE AREA TUESDAY AS A SYSTEM MOVES TOWARD MICHIGAN FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WHILE ARCTIC AIR OVER SOUTHERN CANADA WILL BE POISED TO BE PULLED IN BEHIND THE STORM. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MARGINAL FOR INCREASED RIVER ICE THIS WEEKEND BUT WITH THE ARRIVAL OF AN ARCTIC AIR-MASS EARLY NEXT WEEK A MORE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RIVER ICE IS EXPECTED. THIS WILL LEAD TO FLUCTUATING LEVELS IN AREAS PRONE TO ICE JAMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS PLEASE SEND SNOWFALL REPORTS. LMZ844>849-141030- 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- 1135 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WIND AND WAVES WILL BE HAZARDOUS TO SMALL WATER CRAFT INTO TONIGHT. SNOW SHOWERS WILL LIMIT VISIBILITIES TO UNDER A MILE AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE WIND AND WAVES WILL REMAIN HAZARDOUS FOR SMALL WATER CRAFT THROUGH INTO SUNDAY. SNOW SHOWERS AND FOG WILL LIMIT VISIBILITIES AT TIMES TO UNDER A MILE INTO SUNDAY. A SIGNIFICANT SNOW STORM IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY WITH STRONG WINDS AND INCREASED WAVE HEIGHTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS PLEASE SEND US SNOWFALL REPORTS. MJS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
824 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 AM SNOW 3 N HOLLAND STATE PARK 42.83N 86.21W
01/13/2011 M4.0 INCH OTTAWA MI TRAINED SPOTTER
SNOWFALL SINCE MIDNIGHT THIS MORNING. SNOW DEPTH IS 10.0
INCHES.
&&
HOVINGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
827 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW 3 WSW HART 43.68N 86.42W
01/13/2011 M1.9 INCH OCEANA MI CO-OP OBSERVER
24 HR SNOWFALL.
0700 AM SNOW 4 WSW FREMONT 43.44N 86.02W
01/13/2011 M1.0 INCH NEWAYGO MI CO-OP OBSERVER
24 HR SNOWFALL.
&&
HOVINGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
835 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW 8 NW MONTAGUE 43.50N 86.47W
01/13/2011 M1.8 INCH OCEANA MI COCORAHS
24 HR SNOWFALL.
&&
HOVINGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
847 AM EST THU JAN 13 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW SCOTTVILLE 43.95N 86.28W
01/13/2011 M2.3 INCH MASON MI CO-OP OBSERVER
24 HR SNOWFALL. SNOW DEPTH IS 9.0 INCHES.
&&
HOVINGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Six to nine inches of snow was reported in the Holland area.
Locally six to nine inches of snow was reported in southwest and western Ottawa county, including a report of nine inches of snow in Grand Haven.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2011
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: 277702, 277703.