Michigan, 2013

Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, January 30 to 31, 2013

January 30 to 31, 2013 · NWS APX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong cold front turned mixed rain and snow over to lake effect snow showers on the night of the 30th. Those snow showers intensified during the day on the 31st, thanks to a passing upper level disturbance.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
5

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.

A strong cold front turned mixed rain and snow over to lake effect snow showers on the night of the 30th. Those snow showers intensified during the day on the 31st, thanks to a passing upper level disturbance. Snow totals ranged from 4 to 12 inches in western Chippewa County, with the highest totals near Paradise. Further south, 5 to 8 inches of snow fell south and east of Grand Traverse Bay.

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 30, 1:03 PM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 1:03 PM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 30, 9:41 AM EST, 6 hours 19 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
941 AM EST WED JAN 30 2013

LHZ345>349-LMZ323-341-342-344>346-LSZ321-322-MIZ008-015>036-041-042-
311200-
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-
941 AM EST WED JAN 30 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...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION WILL TRANSITION TO MOSTLY SNOW
THROUGH TODAY...AND CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING. MODERATE
ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR...WITH THE BEST TIME FRAME FOR
ACCUMULATING SNOW DURING THIS AFTERNOON. THE SNOW MAY MIX WITH A
PERIOD OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN. SEE ONGOING WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

THE WARMER WEATHER AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO BRING
SHARP RISES ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

ACCUMULATING LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS EXPECTED FOR THE TRADITIONAL
SNOW BELTS OF BOTH EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN
THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE MOST WIDESPREAD AND HEAVIEST
LAKE SNOWS WILL OCCUR THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT RAINFALL AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS...
AS WELL AS ICE TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. 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

MSB

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 30, 1:21 PM EST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
121 PM EST WED JAN 30 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0100 PM     HEAVY RAIN       3 SE OMER               44.02N 83.81W
01/30/2013  M0.90 INCH       ARENAC             MI   SPOTTER

            16 HR TOTAL THRU 1 PM.

&&

LOCKER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Charlevoix

When
January 30, 4:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Charlevoix forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

Lake-Effect Snow, Antrim

When
January 30, 4:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Antrim forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Kalkaska

When
January 30, 4:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Grand Traverse

When
January 30, 4:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 PM EST
Where
Grand Traverse forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.716, -85.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Chippewa

When
January 30, 7:00 PM EST to January 31, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

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 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: 434304, 434305, 434306, 434307, 434303.