Michigan, 2019

Winter Storm and Extreme Cold in Michigan, January 28, 2019

January 28, 2019 · NWS APX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Strengthening low pressure moved into the southern Great Lakes, crossing southern lower Michigan during the daylight hours of the 28th. This resulted in a significant winter storm for most of northern lower Michigan.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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
20

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.

Strengthening low pressure moved into the southern Great Lakes, crossing southern lower Michigan during the daylight hours of the 28th. This resulted in a significant winter storm for most of northern lower Michigan. Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour were common on the 28th. Snowfall totals were mostly in the 7 to 13 inch range, and the highest amounts of around 16 inches fell near Cadillac and Lake City. Winds increased toward the tail end of the storm, resulting in increasing blowing and drifting snow. Very cold air was in place before the storm arrived, and returned as the storm exited. Wind chills of 15 to 30 below zero were common in northern lower Michigan. Wind chills were much colder in eastern upper Michigan, including -51 at Kinross, and -42 at Sault Ste Marie and Mackinac Island.

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 27, 11:46 PM EST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 27, 11:46 PM EST, 2 hours 14 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 27, 4:17 PM EST, 9 hours 43 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

18 winter storm, 2 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Manistee

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Manistee forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.238, -86.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wexford

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Wexford forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
44.338, -85.578 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Missaukee

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Missaukee forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.337, -85.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Roscommon

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Roscommon forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
44.336, -84.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grand Traverse

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Grand Traverse forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.716, -85.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kalkaska

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Crawford

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.684, -84.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Antrim

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Antrim forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Otsego

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Otsego forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
45.021, -84.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Chippewa

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Chippewa forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Mackinac

When
January 28, 2:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Mackinac forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS

Winter Storm, Gladwin

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Gladwin forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
43.991, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Arenac

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Arenac forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.043, -83.747 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ogemaw

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Ogemaw forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
44.335, -84.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Iosco

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Iosco forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.301, -83.514 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Oscoda

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Oscoda forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
44.682, -84.130 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Alcona

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Alcona forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
44.712, -83.344 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Montmorency

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Montmorency forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
45.028, -84.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Alpena

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Alpena forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
45.064, -83.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Presque Isle

When
January 28, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 PM EST
Where
Presque Isle forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
45.398, -83.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2019

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: 805639, 805640, 805641, 805642, 805645, 805646, 805647, 805650, 805651, 807709, 807710, 805637, 805638, 805643, 805644, 805648, 805649, 805652, 805653, 805654.