Winter Storm — Osceola, Michigan

2011-02-01 to 2011-02-02 · Osceola, Michigan

Event narrative

Winter storm conditions began during the late afternoon hours Tuesday, February 1st and continued into the early morning hours on Wednesday. Six to ten inches of snow fell across the county. Winds gusts up to 40 mph accompanied one inch per hour snowfall rates. Snow drifts of 1 to 3 feet occurred in open areas.

Wider weather episode

A major winter storm brought 10 to 15 inches of snow and blizzard conditions to much of southwest lower Michigan the during the late evening of Tuesday, February 1st into the morning hours of Wednesday, February 2nd. Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph combined with heavy snow to produce whiteout conditions and snowdrifts of 3 to 5 feet. Thunder accompanied the snow in some areas with snowfall rates exceeding two inches per hour. Many businesses, schools, and some government offices were closed on Wednesday. Most main roads were plowed by midday Wednesday but some side streets were not cleared until Thursday. The storm is considered a 1 in 10 year event for south west Michigan. The storm also brought blizzard conditions to parts of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 280066. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.