Michigan, 2025

Extreme Cold and Cold in Michigan, January 18 to 23, 2025

January 18 to 23, 2025 · NWS MQT · 20 events in 15 counties and zones

An arctic air mass enveloping the Upper Great Lakes impacted Upper Michigan with several days of bitter cold temperatures and wind chills along with prolonged moderate snow over the west to northwest wind snow belts.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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 MQT wrote it up.

An arctic air mass enveloping the Upper Great Lakes impacted Upper Michigan with several days of bitter cold temperatures and wind chills along with prolonged moderate snow over the west to northwest wind snow belts.

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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 17, 5:30 PM EST, 13 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 5:30 PM EST, 13 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 17, 3:48 PM EST, 15 hours 12 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

14 cold/wind chill, 5 winter weather, 1 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Northern Houghton

When
January 18, 7:00 AM EST to January 23, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Houghton forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The snow spotter in Twin Lakes measured a five-day lake effect snow total of 31,9 inches while the observer in Painesdale measured a five-day total of 27.4 inches.

Winter Weather, Ontonagon

When
January 18, 8:00 AM EST to January 23, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Ontonagon forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The observer 6 miles north of Greenland measured a five-day total of 22.8 inches of lake effect snow.

Cold/Wind Chill, Ontonagon

When
January 18, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Ontonagon forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.778, -89.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures dipped into the 25 below to 40 below zero range at times from the 19th into the 21st. Most schools were closed throughout Ontonagon County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Gogebic

When
January 18, 9:00 PM CST to January 22, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Gogebic forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures dipped as cold as 35 below to 50 below zero at times from the 19th into the 21st. Schools were closed throughout the county on the 20th and 21st due to bitter cold temperatures and wind chills.

Cold/Wind Chill, Iron

When
January 18, 9:00 PM CST to January 22, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Iron forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.209, -88.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind chill temperatures dipped into the 25 below to 40 below zero range at times from the 19th into the 21st. Most schools were closed throughout Iron County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Winter Weather, Alger

When
January 19, 1:30 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
Where
Alger forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Michigan State Police closed Highway M-28 from Kawbawgam Road in Harvey to West Shore Drive in Munising due to whiteout conditions in lake effect snow and blowing snow. The road was closed for more than four hours and then reopened just before 6 pm.

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Houghton

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Houghton forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to nearly 40 below zero range were reported throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Houghton County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Houghton

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Houghton forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.992, -88.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to nearly 40 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Houghton County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Keweenaw

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Keweenaw forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.283, -88.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 30 below zero range were reported throughout much of the period. Houghton-Keweenaw County Schools were closed on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Baraga

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Baraga forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.700, -88.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 35 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Baraga County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Marquette

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Marquette forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.663, -87.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 40 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Marquette County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Delta

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Delta forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.792, -86.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 35 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Delta County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Alger

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Alger forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.451, -86.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 30 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Alger County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Schoolcraft

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Schoolcraft forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 30 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Schoolcraft County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Schoolcraft

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Schoolcraft forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.043, -86.177 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 35 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Schoolcraft County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Luce

When
January 19, 9:00 PM EST to January 22, 1:00 AM EST
Where
Luce forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to nearly 35 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Tahquamenon Schools were closed on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Dickinson

When
January 19, 9:00 PM CST to January 22, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Dickinson forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.009, -87.870 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to nearly 40 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Dickinson County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Cold/Wind Chill, Menominee

When
January 19, 9:00 PM CST to January 22, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Menominee forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.525, -87.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 30 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Menominee County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

Winter Weather, Gogebic

When
January 22, 7:00 AM CST to January 23, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Gogebic forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
46.496, -89.796 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The observer in Ironwood measured seven inches of snow over 24 hours.

Winter Weather, Luce

When
January 22, 8:00 AM EST to January 23, 8:00 AM EST
Where
Luce forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
46.368, -85.509 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The station 7 miles north of McMillan measured 11 inches of lake effect snow in 24 hours.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
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 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2025

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: 1229281, 1229282, 1229107, 1229106, 1229108, 1229280, 1229268, 1229269, 1229270, 1229271, 1229273, 1229275, 1229276, 1229277, 1229278, 1229279, 1229272, 1229274, 1229283, 1229287.