Michigan, 2026

Winter Storm in Michigan, January 18 to 20, 2026

January 18 to 20, 2026 · NWS GRR · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A winter storm brought widespread 40 to 50 mph winds with higher gusts in combination with heavy snow. Near impossible travel and scattered power outages occurred with this storm.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
10
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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 GRR wrote it up.

A winter storm brought widespread 40 to 50 mph winds with higher gusts in combination with heavy snow. Near impossible travel and scattered power outages occurred with this storm.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Allegan

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Allegan forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 10 to 16 inches of snow across Allegan County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 50 mph.

Winter Storm, Lake

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
43.990, -85.802 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 10 to 16 inches of snow across the County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 45 mph.

Winter Storm, Mason

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Mason forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
43.956, -86.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 6 to 12 inches of snow across the County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 55 mph. Travel disruption was significant with scattered power outages.

Winter Storm, Muskegon

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Muskegon forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 6 to 12 inches of snow across the County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 45 mph. Travel disruption was significant with scattered power outages.

Winter Storm, Newaygo

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Newaygo forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.554, -85.801 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 6 to 12 inches of snow across the County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 45 mph. Travel disruption was significant with scattered power outages.

Winter Storm, Oceana

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Oceana forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
43.682, -86.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 6 to 12 inches of snow across the County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 50 mph. Travel disruption was significant with scattered power outages.

Winter Storm, Ottawa

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Ottawa forecast zone
Injuries
0 direct, 10 indirect
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 10 to 16 inches of snow across Ottawa County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 50 mph. Road conditions in snow and blowing snow resulted in a pileup with more than 100 vehicles on I-196, shutting the highway down for cleanup.

Winter Storm, Van Buren

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Widespread 8 to 16 inches of snow across Van Buren County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 50 mph.

Winter Storm, Kent

When
January 18, 4:00 PM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Kent forecast zone
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
43.032, -85.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow of 8 to 14 inches fell in the western half of Kent County. This fell in combined with wind gusts over 45 mph. Remainder of the county saw between 4 and 10 inches of snow.

Winter Storm, Barry

When
January 19, 10:00 AM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Barry forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.595, -85.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds of 40 mph plus combined with heavy snow to product power outages and dangerous travel. Over 6 inches of snow fell in Barry County.

Winter Storm, Kalamazoo

When
January 19, 10:00 AM EST to January 20, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Kalamazoo forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.245, -85.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds of 40 mph plus combined with heavy snow to product power outages and dangerous travel. Over 6 inches of snow fell in Barry County.

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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2026

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1314800, 1314803, 1314804, 1314805, 1314806, 1314807, 1314808, 1314809, 1314811, 1314802, 1314810.