Michigan, 2018

Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 29, 2018

January 29, 2018 · NWS DTX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A low pressure system moving across the region on Monday, January 29th, brought heavy snow to parts of Southeast Michigan. The snow began around midnight and lasted through most of the day.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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 DTX wrote it up.

A low pressure system moving across the region on Monday, January 29th, brought heavy snow to parts of Southeast Michigan. The snow began around midnight and lasted through most of the day. A very narrow swath of heavy snow occurred along the I-69 corridor from Lansing up through Flint. These areas received 7 to 11 inches. Flint Bishop Airport received 10 inches, which is a top 20 all time snowstorm. This snow made the morning commute challenging, with some lingering impacts lasting into the evening commute. Outside of the I-69 corridor, just a dusting to 2 inches fell north, while 2 to 4 inches fell along and south of the M-59 corridor.

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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 28, 11:52 PM EST, 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 28, 11:52 PM EST, 8 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Genesee

When
January 29, 12:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Shiawassee

When
January 29, 12:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Shiawassee forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.954, -84.147 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lapeer

When
January 29, 12:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Lapeer forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sanilac

When
January 29, 12:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
Where
Sanilac forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.443, -82.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2018

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: 731602, 731603, 731604, 731605.