Ice Storm — Sanilac, Michigan

2013-12-21 to 2013-12-22 · Sanilac, Michigan

Wider weather episode

A winter storm impacted a large swath of the country from the southern Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast on the last weekend before Christmas. This storm occurred as a deep upper-level trough over the Desert Southwest lifted northeastward, while a surface low pressure system moved from Texas into the Ohio Valley. This low moved along a very sharp frontal boundary. This front at the surface actually briefly penetrated far southeastern Michigan Friday night. The temperature at Lambertville, on the Ohio border, rose into the mid-50s, while Monroe, just 15 miles away, stayed in the mid-30s. On Saturday, copious Gulf moisture was brought northward ahead of the approaching surface low. This warm, moist air was forced to ascend at the front over Ohio, spreading precipitation from south to north over southeast Michigan from the late morning into the afternoon. An anticyclone over Ontario provided a supply of low-level cold air, causing the surface temperature to be near or below freezing for much of southeast Michigan. The result was a swath of freezing rain roughly between M-59 to M-46 which continued into Saturday night and early Sunday. The I-69 corridor was especially hard-hit, with ice accumulations of half an inch to three quarters of an inch, causing over 200,000 homes and businesses to lose power. Numerous trees and wires were downed, and a state of emergency was declared in Shiawassee County due to unsafe traveling conditions. South of M-59, much of the precipitation occurred as rain, with some locations receiving over 1.50 rain. North of M-46, much of the precipitation occurred as snow, with up to 4 inches reported.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 486398. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.