Winter Storm — Northern Houghton, Michigan

2026-01-18 to 2026-01-21 · Northern Houghton, Michigan

Event narrative

Heavy lake effect snow and blowing snow brought periods of visibility down to 1/4 mile at the Houghton County Aiport ASOS (KCMX). 6 to 12 of snowfall was reported with the Kearsarge CO-OP reporting 8 of snow in 24 hours at 0800 EST on 1/19. Twin Lakes CoCoRaHS reported 12.3 of snowfall in 24 hours at 0600 ES 1/19. Key impacts: Tranportation delays.

Wider weather episode

A clipper low moved through the region bringing widespread light snow to the U.P. Moderate to heavy lake effect snow developed over the northern and western U.P. as an arctic air mass moved into the Great Lakes, disrupting travel and resulting in school closures. In addition to snowfall, winds and arctic air brought very cold windchills in the -20s across the U.P.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1312129. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.