A low pressure system moving east from Minnesota through Wisconsin and Lower Michigan dropped moderate snow over the southeast portion of Upper Michigan on the 28th.
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 MQT wrote it up.
A low pressure system moving east from Minnesota through Wisconsin and Lower Michigan dropped moderate snow over the southeast portion of Upper Michigan on the 28th.
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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 28, 12:32 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 1232 PM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 457 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 WILL CONTINUE THE SPS TO HIGHLIGHT THE COLD MORNING TEMPERATURES. COLDEST NOTED SO FAR HAS BEEN -36 AT THE SPINCICH LAKE RAWS...AND -35 AT DOE LAKE. AT THE NWS OFFICE...THE COLDEST WAS -28 WHICH OCCURRED PRIOR TO 4AM /TEMPS WHERE NEARLY STEADY STATE BETWEEN -26 AND -28 FROM MIDNIGHT TO 345AM/. HIGH CLOUDS CONTINUE TO DISRUPT THE EXTREME COLD OVER THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA...WHERE TEMPS HAVE WARMED TO -11 AT CMX ALREADY THIS MORNING. STILL LOOKING FOR TEMPS IN THE SINGLE TO LOW DOUBLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO THIS AFTERNOON...WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF S WINDS AROUND 8-12KTS. OTHER THAN TEMPS THIS MORNING THE MAIN STORY WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR MODERATE SNOW S AND SE THROUGH THIS EVENING. SLOWED DOWN INCOMING SYSTEM FROM WHAT WE PREVIOUSLY HAD IN THE FCST. STILL EXPECTING THE BEST CHANCE OF SNOW TO FALL PRIOR TO 06Z SATURDAY. LOOKING AT SOME OF THE MORE RAPIDLY UPDATING FCST MODELS...ANOTHER SLOW-DOWN MAY BE NEEDED. SLR ON THE ORDER 20-23:1 IN THE POTENTIAL LAKE ENHANCED BAND MOVING INTO DELTA AND S SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTIES SHOULD RESULT IN WIDESPREAD 2-4IN OF SNOW...OR MORE. HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL LIKELY BE NEAR THE SHORELINE...WHEREVER ONSHORE FLOW FOCUSES THE EXPECTED MAIN BAND. TAKING A LOOK AT THE LATEST SATELLITE/MODIS IMAGERY IT SEEMS THAT THE STRONG WINDS OF LATE HAVE RESULTED IN MUCH MORE OPEN WATER OVER THE W HALF OF LAKE MI. CONCERNS REMAIN THROUGH...AS FRIGID TEMPS AND LIGHT WINDS EARLY THIS MORNING ALLOWS FOR QUICK THIN ICE TO FORM. WAS IMPRESSED TO ALREADY SEE A S-N ORIENTED BAND OFF THE IR SATELLITE IMAGERY FROM 2-4AM ALONG THE E SHORE OF LAKE MI UP TO THE GARDEN PENINSULA AND WASHINGTON INLAND. OFF AND ON SNOW SHOWERS HAVE BEEN REPORTED ALONG THE SHORES OF LOWER MI /FRANKFORT/. IN OUR LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING IT HAS MOVED AROUND QUITE A BIT ACROSS N LAKE MI. SMALL SCALE MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THE THREAT OF 0.2 TO NEARLY 0.4IN QPF /HIGHEST OFF THE HIRESWRF/. POSTED WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO HANDLE BOTH THE LES AND SYSTEM SNOW FROM 18Z FRIDAY TO 06Z SATURDAY. THE SFC TROUGH OVER W-CENTRAL ND AT 10Z WILL BE OVER CENTRAL MN AT 18Z...AND OVER E UPPER MI AT 06Z. EXPECT SNOW TO QUICKLY DIMINISH BEHIND THE LOW. INCREASED SFC TEMPS SLIGHTLY FOR TONIGHT...WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF PLENTY OF CLOUD COVER. WIND CHILL VALUES PRIOR TO 12Z SATURDAY SHOULD BE WARMER THAN -25F...RESULTING IN NO WIND CHILL RELATED HEADLINES. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 508 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 CURRENT PATTERN IS HIGHLY AMPLIFIED WITH A STRONG RIDGE EXTENDING N THRU AK/YUKON AND A DEEP TROF DOWNSTREAM OVER MUCH OF CANADA INTO THE ADJACENT CONUS...A PATTERN THAT HAS FREQUENTLY BEEN OBSERVED THIS COLD SEASON. ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROF...A BITTERLY COLD AIR MASS WITH MAGNITUDE VERY UNUSUAL FOR SO LATE IN THE SEASON WILL LINGER INTO THE WEEKEND. THEN...SIMILAR TO THE LAST OCCURRENCE OF THIS HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN...THE NRN END OF THE WRN RIDGE IS STILL FCST TO CLOSE OFF AND RETROGRADE TO SIBERIA...ALLOWING PACIFIC FLOW TO STRENGTHEN INTO THE CONUS. THIS WILL BRING SLOW MODERATION NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A TENDENCY FOR SOME DEGREE OF WRN RIDGING WHICH SHOULD ENSURE BELOW NORMAL TEMPS MOSTLY PREVAIL ACROSS UPPER MI FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. WITH SOME PERIODS OF LIGHT WINDS OVER THE COMING DAYS...THE LINGERING COLD AIR MASS SHOULD FINALLY PUSH LAKE SUPERIOR TO 100PCT ICE COVER. MAY REACH THAT THIS MORNING DUE TO THE CURRENT LIGHT WIND REGIME. FAST LOOPING OF YESTERDAYS VIS SATELLITE IMAGERY CLEARLY SHOWED ICE GROWING IN THE REMAINING OPEN WATER AREAS. AS WOULD BE EXPECTED...PATTERN IS NOT REALLY FAVORABLE FOR MUCH IN THE WAY OF SYNOPTIC PCPN. HOWEVER...THERE ARE SOME INDICIATIONS FROM MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE FOR POTENTIALLY A LITTLE MORE ACTION MID AND LATE NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES SWEEP ONSHORE OFF THE PACIFIC AND TRACK E IN A MORE PROGRESSIVE LOWER AMPLITUDE FLOW REGIME... THOUGH NOTHING LOOKS SIGNIFICANT. NORMALLY WOULD BE DEALING WITH LES OFF LAKE SUPERIOR IN THIS COLD AIR MASS...BUT WITH EXTENSIVE ICE COVER THAT SHOULD BE AT OR VERY NEAR 100PCT...LES MAY BE SHUTDOWN THRU THIS FCST PERIOD. BEGINNING SAT...FCST AREA WILL BE UNDER RENEWED CAA IN NW FLOW BTWN DEPARTING LOW PRES TROF AND CANADIAN HIGH PRES BUILDING INTO THE NRN PLAINS. 850MB TEMPS RANGING FROM AROUND -18C SE TO -24C NW AT 12Z WILL FALL TO -25C SE TO -29C NW BY EVENING. AS A RESULT...TEMPS WILL STRUGGLE TO GET ABOVE 0F OVER THE W. TO THE S AND E...TEMPS SHOULD RISE TOWARD 10F WITH THE SLIGHTLY WARMER AIR IN THAT AREA TO START THE DAY. MAINTAINED SCHC POPS FOR LES IN AREAS FAVORED BY NW WINDS OFF LAKE SUPERIOR...BUT IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THE LAKE WILL BE COMPLETELY ICE COVERED...PREVENTING ANY LES. HOWEVER...IF NW WINDS ARE STRONG ENOUGH SAT TO PUSH THE ICE A BIT...THERE MAY BE A LITTLE OPEN WATER ALONG THE IMMEDIATE MN N SHORE UP PAST ISLE ROYALE AND ALSO TO THE LEE OF THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA. IF SO...THERE WILL BE A FEW -SHSN AND THUS THE SCHC POPS. OTHERWISE...WINDS MAY BE GUSTY ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SOME BLSN/REDUCED VIS IN OPEN AREAS NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR...BUT SHOULDN'T BE TOO BIG OF AN ISSUE GIVEN THE LACK OF SNOW FALLING. WINDS IN THE MORNING MAY ALSO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO DRIVE WIND CHILLS DOWN TO THE ADVY CATEGORY OVER THE W. WITH DISTURBANCE STREAKING E TOWARD THE SRN LAKES...NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT THE NRN FRINGE OF -SN SHIELD COULD BRUSH THE FAR SCNTRL LATE IN THE DAY INTO SAT EVENING. RETAINED SCHC POPS THERE. SFC HIGH PRES RIDGE STRETCHING FROM HIGH CENTER IN THE NRN PLAINS INTO THE UPPER LAKES WILL ENSURE A PERIOD OF DRY...BUT STILL VERY COLD WEATHER SAT NIGHT/SUN. TEMPS SAT NIGHT AND FOR THAT MATTER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING NIGHTS THRU EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BE A CHALLENGE. DEPENDING ON CLOUD COVER AND WINDS...MIN TEMPS COULD BE VERY LOW EACH NIGHT (WELL BLO LOWEST GUIDANCE) UNDER LINGERING BUT GRADUALLY MODERATING ARCTIC AIR MASS. HIGH CLOUDS ON THE NRN FRINGE OF DISTURBANCE PASSING TO THE S OF THE AREA MAY LIMIT COOLING SOME SAT NIGHT. OTHERWISE...CLOUD COVER MAY NOT BE THAT MUCH OF AN ISSUE THRU EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THERE SHOULD BE LITTLE IF ANY STRATOCU OFF WHAT SHOULD BE A TOTALLY ICE COVERED LAKE SUPERIOR. WITH WINDS MOSTLY LIGHT EACH NIGHT WITH WEAK PRES GRADIENT ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH PRES IN THE AREA...WILL CONTINUE TO FAVOR MIN TEMPS GENERALLY AT OR BLO THE LOWEST GUIDANCE SAT NIGHT AND SUN NIGHT...ESPECIALLY FOR TRADITIONAL COLD SPOTS. SINCE INCREASING CLOUDS FROM THE W WILL BE A FACTOR MON NIGHT...WILL FAVOR THE LOWEST READINGS OVER THE E THAT NIGHT. INCREASINGLY HIGHER SUN ANGLE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR WORKING ON LOWER ALBEDO FORESTED TERRAIN WILL HELP TEMPS RISE NICELY FROM FRIGID OVERNIGHT LOWS EACH DAY...THOUGH MAX TEMPS WILL STILL BE WELL BLO NORMAL. HIGHS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO AROUND 10F SUN WILL GENERALLY RISE A COUPLE OF DEGREES FOR MON. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED...IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES TRACKING ACROSS THE CONUS MID AND LATE NEXT WEEK. INCREASING CLOUDS MON NIGHT WILL BE AHEAD OF THE FIRST WAVE. THERE IS DISAGREEMENT ON WHETHER THAT WAVE WILL TRACK FAR ENOUGH N TO BRING SOME -SN TO THE AREA TUE. THE GEM KEEPS SYSTEM FARTHER S...SO NO -SN...THE ECMWF/GFS ARE FARTHER N. FOLLOWING THAT SYSTEM...THERE WILL BE MORE SHORTWAVES...BUT GUIDANCE HAS NOT BEEN CONSISTENT ON TIMING/STRENGTH OF WAVES. FCST WILL SHOW SCHC POPS THRU MUCH OF THE TUE-THU TIME PERIOD UNTIL SOME AGREEMENT/CONSISTENCY DEVELOPS IN MODEL GUIDANCE. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO MODERATE THRU THE WEEK. BY WED...HIGH TEMPS WILL BE NEARING 20F...AND ON THU...TEMPS MAY PUSH WELL INTO THE 20S. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1231 PM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS EARLY IN THE FCST PERIOD TO GIVE WAY TO MVFR CONDITIONS BY MID/LATE AFTN AS AREA OF -SN ASSOCIATED WITH LO PRES MOVING THRU NW MN OVERSPREADS UPR MI. BEST CHC FOR SOMEWHAT HEAVIER SN/IFR VSBYS WL BE AT SAW TOWARD 00Z...CLOSER TO WHEN BETTER DYNAMIC SUPPORT IS FCST TO IMPACT SCENTRAL UPR MI. THE ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR ALF WL END THE PCPN W-E THIS EVNG...BUT EXPECT PREDOMINANT MVFR CIGS TO LINGER THRU SAT MRNG AT IWD/CMX WITH STEADY...UPSLOPE NW FLOW OF COLDER AIR. EXTENSIVE ICE COVER OVER LK SUP WL LIMIT THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVIER LES THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE A PROBLEM AT THESE LOCATIONS. DOWNSLOPE NATURE OF THE NW FLOW SHOULD RESULT IN A TREND TOWARD VFR CONDITIONS AT SAW. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 429 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 MUCH LIGHTER WINDS AND PLENTY OF VERY COLD AIR WILL LIKELY ACT TO QUICKLY FORM ANOTHER ROUND OF THIN ICE ACROSS MUCH OF THE LINGERING OPEN WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR /AS SEEN ON THE LAST FEW VIS SATELLITE IMAGES YESTERDAY AFTERNOON/. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES WILL BE THIS MORNING/TODAY. THE ARCTIC HIGH OVER MUCH OF THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE E TO THE NEW ENGLAND STATES BY THIS EVENING. A LOW/TROUGH WILL BRIEFLY CROSS LAKE SUPERIOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...BEFORE A RIDGE BUILDS BACK ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES FROM THE N PLAINS AND S CENTRAL CANADA SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A LOW/TROUGH EXTENDING FROM A SYSTEM ORGANIZING OVER THE PLAINS WILL APPROACH LAKE SUPERIOR LATE TUESDAY. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM EST SATURDAY FOR MIZ013-014. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && SHORT TERM...KF LONG TERM...ROLFSON AVIATION...KC MARINE...KF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 523 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-011300- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 523 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 /423 AM CST FRI FEB 28 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT EXPECT BITTERLY COLD CONDITIONS EARLY THIS MORNING. SEE THE LATEST SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR FURTHER DETAILS. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF THE EAST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE GREATEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WIND CHILLS AROUND 25 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN SATURDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING MAY FALL TO AS LOW AS 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO ACROSS THE INTERIOR OF UPPER MICHIGAN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-011300- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO GRAND PORTAGE MN BEYOND 5NM-SAXON HARBOR WI TO BLACK RIVER MI- BLACK RIVER TO ONTONAGON MI- ONTONAGON TO UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO EAGLE RIVER MI- EAGLE RIVER TO MANITOU ISLAND MI- MANITOU ISLAND TO POINT ISABELLE MI- POINT ISABELLE TO LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO HURON ISLANDS MI INCLUDING KEWEENAW AND HURON BAYS-HURON ISLANDS TO MARQUETTE MI- MARQUETTE TO MUNISING MI-MUNISING TO GRAND MARAIS MI- GRAND MARAIS TO WHITEFISH POINT MI- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER INCLUDING ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL TO MANITOU ISLAND MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR EAST OF A LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO WHITEFISH POINT MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- 523 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 /423 AM CST FRI FEB 28 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-011300- GREEN BAY NORTH OF LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-SEUL CHOIX POINT TO POINT DETOUR MI- 5NM EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRPORT MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE- 523 AM EST FRI FEB 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. ROLFSON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Observers throughout the county measured three to four inches of snow in approximately a seven-hour period.
Observers in Parent Bay and Cooks measured six inches of fluffy snow over approximately an eight-hour period.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, February 2014
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: 502265, 502266.