Blizzard — Berrien, Michigan

2008-12-21 to 2008-12-22 · Berrien, Michigan

Event narrative

Heavy lake-effect snow squalls combined with frequent wind gusts in excess of 40 mph produced blizzard conditions across Berrien County, especially during the afternoon and evening hours on December 21st. Trained spotters across the county reported between 5 and 11 inches of snow, with 6 inches at Niles and 11 inches near Eau Claire. The media reported a 100 car pile-up on I-94 around 06:00 pm near Stevensville due to visibilities near zero. A 31 year old man was killed in the pile-up when his vehicle struck a stopped semi truck.

Wider weather episode

Arctic air filtered into southwest lower Michigan behind a strong cold front early on December 21st. Westerly winds in excess of 35 mph, combined with heavy lake-effect snow showers led to zero to a quarter mile visibility for extended periods of time December 21st into early December 22nd. The limited visibility led to a 100-vehicle crash on I-94 in Berrien County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 138975. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.