Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 8 to 9, 2015

Name: Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 8 to 9, 2015
Start: 2015-01-08T11:00
End: 2015-01-09T16:00
Location: Michigan

January 8 to 9, 2015 · NWS GRR · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: 11

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 GRR wrote it up.

An Alberta Clipper weather system was enhanced by Lake Michigan moisture and brought heavy snow and strong winds that resulted in considerable blowing and drifting snow and very hazardous travel conditions. There were many reports of 8 to 14 inches of snow, with the heaviest snow occurring near to mainly west of US-131. Wind gusts reached 40 to 55 mph, highest near the Lake Michigan shoreline where the heaviest snow fell, which caused extensive blowing and drifting of snow. A 193 car pileup occurred on Interstate 94 near Galesburg, between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek during the early afternoon hours of Friday January 9th, where visibility was reduced to near zero at times in heavy lake effect snow bands and blowing snow. One fatality occurred in this accident.

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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 6:50 PM EST, 16 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 6:50 PM EST, 16 hours 10 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 7, 3:33 PM EST, 19 hours 27 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
333 PM EST WED JAN 7 2015

MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-081130-
MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-
MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON-
INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON-
333 PM EST WED JAN 7 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SNOW WILL DECREASE IN INTENSITY ACROSS WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN THIS
EVENING. HOWEVER...RAPID CHANGES IN VISIBILITY WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE
NEAR THE LAKESHORE SOUTH OF HOLLAND.

WIND CHILL VALUES WILL REMAIN DANGEROUSLY LOW WITH EXPOSED SKIN
FREEZING TIMES OF HALF AN HOUR OR LESS.

ICE JAM FORMATION IS POSSIBLE ON AREA RIVERS WHICH COULD LEAD TO
LOCALIZED FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS EXPECTED FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY....
ESPECIALLY WEST OF HIGHWAY 131. SNOW TOTALS OF 10 OR MORE INCHES ARE
EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKESHORE. THE SNOW WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WINDS AND DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING
SNOW AND WHITEOUTS.

LAKE EFFECT SNOWS WILL CONTINUE WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS FROM
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY.

WIND CHILL VALUES WILL REMAIN DANGEROUSLY LOW INTO THURSDAY EVENING
WITH EXPOSED SKIN FREEZING TIMES OF HALF AN HOUR OR LESS.

ICE JAM FORMATION WILL REMAIN A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY INTO THIS
WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

LMZ844>849-081130-
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-
333 PM EST WED JAN 7 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

GALES AND HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. SIGNIFICANT
ACCRETION OF ICE IS EXPECTED ON PIERS AND BREAKWALLS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

GALES AND HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.
SIGNIFICANT ACCRETION OF ICE IS EXPECTED ON PIERS AND BREAKWALLS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

DUKE TJT

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Muskegon

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Muskegon forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer reported 16 inches of snow fell in 24 hours three miles north of Sullivan in Muskegon county from mid afternoon on January 8th through mid afternoon on January 9th. There were widespread reports of 8-12 inches of snow from Muskegon county and considerable blowing and drifting of snow was also reported.

Heavy Snow, Mason

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Mason forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.956, -86.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trained spotters reported 10 to 12 inches of snow across Mason county and considerable blowing and drifting of snow.

Heavy Snow, Oceana

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Oceana forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trained spotters reported 10 to 12 inches of snow across northwestern Oceana county, along with considerable blowing and drifting of snow countywide.

Heavy Snow, Ottawa

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trained spotters reported over a foot of snow fell across portions of Ottawa county and considerable blowing and drifting of snow.

Heavy Snow, Allegan

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Allegan forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts ranged from 10 to 12 inches with locally higher amounts in excess of a foot, along with a considerable amount of blowing and drifting snow.

Heavy Snow, Barry

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Barry forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts generally ranged from around 6 to 10 inches across portions of Barry county, with the most snow and hazardous travel conditions occurring near to west of US-131.

Heavy Snow, Van Buren

When: January 8, 11:00 AM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts ranged from 8 to 12 inches across most of Van Buren county, with locally higher amounts in excess of a foot in conjunction with a considerable amount of blowing and drifting snow.

Heavy Snow, Kent

When: January 8, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Kent forecast zone
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches across eastern Kent county to around to over a foot across far western and southwestern Kent county west of US-131, as reported by NWS employees and trained spotters.

Heavy Snow, Lake

When: January 8, 1:00 PM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.990, -85.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trained spotters reported 10 to 12 inches of snow across western Lake county and considerable blowing and drifting of snow. Snowfall totals were lighter east of US-131.

Heavy Snow, Newaygo

When: January 8, 1:00 PM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Newaygo forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.554, -85.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trained spotters reported 10 to 12 inches of snow across western Newaygo county.

Heavy Snow, Kalamazoo

When: January 8, 1:00 PM EST to January 9, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Kalamazoo forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.245, -85.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts ranged from 6 to 10 inches across Kalamazoo county, with the higher end reports coming from the western half of Kalamazoo county. WWMT-3 reported 10 inches of snow. A 193 car pileup occurred in eastern Kalamazoo county on I-94 near Galesburg during the early afternoon hours of January 9th, where visibility was significantly reduced by heavy lake effect snow and blowing snow. One fatality occurred.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, January 2015

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 551084, 551085, 551087, 551093, 551111, 551114, 551115, 551099, 551086, 551088, 551116.