Cold/Wind Chill — Saginaw, Michigan

2007-02-03 to 2007-02-06 · Saginaw, Michigan

Injuries

$25K

Property damage

Wider weather episode

A bitter cold airmass blasted into the region on Saturday, February the 3rd and persisted through Tuesday, February the 6th. Temperatures through this period were 20 to 25 degrees below normal. Daytime temps struggled to reach 10 degrees while subzero temperatures occurred all 3 nights. Flint set 2 temperature records and was held to a daytime temperature less than 5 degrees for the first time in over 10 years. Winds of 15 to 25 MPH gusted as high as 35 MPH at times. After factoring in the winds, apparent temperatures ranged from 15 below to 25 below through nearly the entire event. Almost every school district in Southeast Michigan canceled school on Monday and most did the same on Tuesday, citing conditions too dangerous for the kids either walking to school or waiting outside for the bus. Area hospitals reported numerous cases of patients suffering from cold related illnesses. Most of the cases involved frostbite. At least one fatality was blamed on the cold weather. Frozen pipes and water main breaks occurred throughout all of Southeast Michigan, leaving many residents and business owners out in the cold. Area homeless shelters were filled to capacity. There were also many cases of fire sprinkler lines freezing and breaking, leading to flooding. AAA Michigan reported over 20,000 vehicle service calls due to the cold air, the most in nearly 10 years. Total damages were roughly estimated at $425K, including electrical and mechanical damages to vehicles and property damages caused by flooding. Here are the official maximum and minimum temperatures observed at Detroit, Flint, and Saginaw, from the 4th through the 6th:

Detroit: 8/-2 on the 4th, 12/-4 on the 5th, 12/-3 on the 6th.

Flint: 4/-5 on the 4th, 9/-7 on the 5th, 11/-5 on the 6th.

Saginaw: 5/-7 on the 4th, 10/-7 on the 5th, 10/-6 on the 6th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 18656. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.