Lake-Effect Snow, Mackinac
- When
- January 25, 4:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Mackinac forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 25, 2013
Very cold air was in place over the region, in advance of a clipper moving southeast from central Canada. The clipper was moisture-starved, and would only produce very light snow away from the Great Lakes.
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 APX wrote it up.
Very cold air was in place over the region, in advance of a clipper moving southeast from central Canada. The clipper was moisture-starved, and would only produce very light snow away from the Great Lakes. However, southwest winds ahead of the clipper interacted with pre-existing lake effect snow to produce very heavy snow in western Mackinac County. Engadine picked up 8 inches of snow, while media reports indicated Curtis ended up with nearly two feet of fresh snow.
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 24, 6:46 PM EST, 9 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 24, 6:46 PM EST, 9 hours 14 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 24, 4:13 PM EST, 11 hours 47 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI 413 PM EST THU JAN 24 2013 LHZ345>349-LMZ323-341-342-344>346-LSZ321-322-MIZ008-015>036-041-042- 251200- 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- 413 PM EST THU JAN 24 2013 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...TONIGHT. ICE JAMS DEVELOPING ON AREA RIVERS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED BACKWATER FLOODING THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. LAKE ENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS...LOCALLY HEAVY...WILL DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN MACKINAC COUNTY LATER TONIGHT. SEE ONGOING WARNING FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ADDITIONAL WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED FRIDAY. LAKE ENHANCEMENT COULD RESULT IN LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF MACKINAC COUNTY. SEE ONGOING WARNING FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT ANY TIME. REPORTS MAY BE MADE ONE OF THREE WAYS: BY PHONE: 1-800-647-8676 (REPORTS ONLY PLEASE...NO FORECASTS) BY FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.GAYLORD.GOV BY TWITTER: TWITTER.COM/NWSGAYLORD JPB
Event by event
1 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 25, 2013
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in Delaware, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in Virginia, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in Ohio, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 25, 2013
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Kentucky, January 25, 2013
- Ice Storm and Winter Weather in Georgia, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, January 25, 2013
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, January 25, 2013
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2013
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: 432992.