Winter Storm in Michigan, November 26 to 29, 2025

Name: Winter Storm in Michigan, November 26 to 29, 2025
Start: 2025-11-26T15:30
End: 2025-11-29T00:00
Location: Michigan

November 26 to 29, 2025 · NWS APX · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Low pressure crossed the Upper Midwest Wednesday and Wednesday night. Rain changed to light snow through the day Wednesday as temperatures fell behind the initial cold front.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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: 13

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.

Low pressure crossed the Upper Midwest Wednesday and Wednesday night. Rain changed to light snow through the day Wednesday as temperatures fell behind the initial cold front. Northwesterly winds strengthened dramatically behind the front, gusting into the 40-50mph range Wednesday night. Strong winds continued into Thanksgiving day, exacerbating impacts from intense northwest flow lake effect snow bands across northwest Lower Michigan in particular. The most prominent band stretched largely from the Norwood/Charlevoix area down through Mancelona/Lakes of the North into the Frederic area in Crawford county...occasionally stretching as far southeast as Arenac county due to the strong winds aloft. Reports of 14 to 15 inches began filtering in as early as 10-11am on Thanksgiving morning, with some reports of over 20 inches near Frederic by 1pm. This band continued to persist in the same general area through most of the day, only slowly shifting around into Thursday night. Additional lake effect snow fell during the day Friday, though intensity tapered off through the morning as the excessively favorable environment began to wane.

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 Nov 25, 6:06 PM EST, 21 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 25, 6:06 PM EST, 21 hours 24 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 25, 4:49 PM EST, 22 hours 41 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

13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Otsego

When: November 26, 3:30 PM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Otsego forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 45.021, -84.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Twenty-four hour snowfall total between midnight on the 27th and 28th at WFO Gaylord, 9mi SSW of the city of Gaylord, MI, was 13.1 inches, with a storm total of 19.6 inches. Areas just west and south of the office, particularly the Wilderness Valley and Waters area were more consistently beneath the more intense snow band, received nearly 20 inches of snow by the middle of the day on the 27th...with storm totals as high as 25inches. Snowfall totals varied dramatically across the county, with some areas (not under the band) receiving closer to 10 inches or less over the course of 72 hrs.

Winter Storm, Antrim

When: November 26, 3:30 PM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Antrim forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 45.007, -85.176 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall near Mancelona of 18.4 inches by the morning of the 29th. Snowfall totals in parts of Antrim county as high as 20 inches in the vicinity of Alba and parts of Lakes of the North...though some areas even 10 miles away from the CoCoRaHS observer only received a couple inches for the entire event.

Winter Storm, Kalkaska

When: November 26, 3:30 PM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Kalkaska forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.685, -85.090 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall amounts varied dramatically across the county depending on which areas were and were not under the band. Areas closer to the town of Kalkaska proper, well away from the most intense band, received closer to 3-4 inches of snow, while areas across northeastern portion of the county received at least 2 feet of snow. Highest report was 25.5 inches in Blue Lake Township by the middle of the day on the 28th.

Winter Storm, Crawford

When: November 26, 3:30 PM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.684, -84.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals by mid-morning on the 27th were as high as 20 inches. Highest storm total snowfall report near May Lake, southwest of the town of Frederic, was 23.3 inches. Reports continued to vary across the county depending on where the most intense band stayed persistent longest; areas closer to Lovells, only 15miles ENE of May Lake, reported a storm total of 11.5 inches. The cooperative observer in Grayling, MI measured a total of 17 inches by the morning of the 29th. NWS employee traveling south on Old 27 between Waters and Grayling during the morning of the 27th estimated at least 14 inches on the ground and whiteout conditions near Frederic.

Winter Storm, Charlevoix County

When: November 26, 3:30 PM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Charlevoix County forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.267, -85.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals in the East Jordan area of 7-12 inches.

Winter Storm, Grand Traverse

When: November 26, 3:30 PM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Grand Traverse forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.716, -85.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Localized snowfall totals of 7-9 inches over 48-72 hours, generally over parts of eastern Grand Traverse county, downstream of Grand Traverse Bay. Some parts of the county saw less than 4 inches through the event.

Winter Storm, Western Chippewa County

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Western Chippewa County forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.328, -84.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals as high as 10-15 inches of snow in the vicinity of Eckerman and Trout Lake, respectively.

Winter Storm, Eastern Mackinac County

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Mackinac County forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 45.872, -84.762 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall totals of nearly 18 inches near Cedarville in eastern Mackinac county, most of which fell through Thanksgiving morning. Areas closer to the Straits, only 20 miles away, received a few inches of snow.

Winter Storm, Southeast Chippewa County

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Southeast Chippewa County forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.328, -84.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall total of 14 inches by 3pm on the 28th from the Goetzville area in the southeastern UP.

Winter Storm, Manistee

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Manistee forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 44.238, -86.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall total of 9.1 inches, most of which fell prior to 9am on the 27th. Snow was heavy and wet, with 12-hr snowfall of 6 inches at 9am 11/27 having a liquid equivalent of 0.89 inches.

Winter Storm, Missaukee

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Missaukee forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.337, -85.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Estimated 12 inches of snow in the Moorestown area in northeastern Missaukee county.

Winter Storm, Ogemaw

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Ogemaw forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.335, -84.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Multiple reports of 8-12 inches of snow across northern Ogemaw county, near the Rose City/Lupton areas.

Winter Storm, Roscommon

When: November 27, 12:00 AM EST to November 29, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Roscommon forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.336, -84.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Reports of 6-12 inches in central Roscommon county, with highest totals near South Higgins Lake. Some reports of closer to 15 inches on the Crawford/Roscommon county line near/north of the town of Roscommon.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, November 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: 1298298, 1298299, 1298300, 1298301, 1298302, 1298303, 1298304, 1298305, 1298306, 1298308, 1298309, 1298310, 1298311.