Ice Storm — Van Buren, Michigan

2023-02-22 to 2023-02-23 · Van Buren, Michigan

Event narrative

A quarter to half an inch of freezing rain was reported across portions of Van Buren county. A firefighter in Paw Paw was electrocuted by a downed power line as a result of the ice storm and passed away.

Wider weather episode

A major ice storm impacted much of southern Lower Michigan while areas of moderate to heavy snow impacted central Lower Michigan on February 22, 2023. Nearly 800,000 homes and businesses lost power across southern lower Michigan as freezing rain accumulated on trees and power lines, bringing branches, trees, and power lines down in many areas. In between the areas of freezing rain to the south and snow to the north, sleet (ice pellet) accumulation reached a couple of inches deep.

Freezing rain occurred mostly south of the I-96 corridor. Along and slightly north of the I-96 corridor, ice pellets persisted for most of this event leading to 1-2 of dense ice pellet accumulation. Further north, the atmosphere was cold enough to keep precipitation all snow, where generally 2-8 fell. Wind gusts reached the 30-40 mph range for many locations during the height of the event. This added an additional challenge to areas that received heavy icing on trees and power lines.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1080028. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.