Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 17 to 18, 2020

Name: Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 17 to 18, 2020
Start: 2020-01-17T22:30
End: 2020-01-18T11:00
Location: Michigan

January 17 to 18, 2020 · NWS DTX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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.

Snow quickly moved in during the late evening on Friday, January 17, 2020 as a strong low pressure system moved in from the Midwest and across the Great Lakes region. The majority of the snow fell overnight and into the morning hours on Saturday before tapering off and transitioning to rain showers and drizzle over some parts of Southeast Michigan. With the amount of moisture that was available with this system, the characteristic of this snow was heavy and wet, making shoveling rather difficult. During the heaviest snow, snowfall rates were 1+ inches per hour leading to many locations along and south of I-69 seeing 5 to 7 inches of total snow, with mostly 4 to 5 inches north. These amounts occurred in a 9-10 hour period.

Here are some of the higher totals received:

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 17, 6:24 PM EST, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 6:24 PM EST, 4 hours 6 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

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Lenawee

When: January 17, 10:30 PM EST to January 18, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Lenawee forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Monroe

When: January 17, 11:30 PM EST to January 18, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washtenaw

When: January 17, 11:30 PM EST to January 18, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Washtenaw forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When: January 18, 12:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Livingston

When: January 18, 12:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Livingston forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Oakland

When: January 18, 12:30 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Oakland forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Genesee

When: January 18, 12:30 AM EST to 11:00 AM 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, Macomb

When: January 18, 1:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where: Macomb forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.673, -82.910 (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

Every storm in Michigan in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, January 2020

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: 871837, 871835, 871838, 871839, 871840, 871841, 871843, 871842.