Ice Storm — Macomb, Michigan

1997-03-13 to 1997-03-14 · Macomb, Michigan

Wider weather episode

Low pressure tracked from the central Plains northeast across southeast lower Michigan late on the 13th through the 14th. The storm brought widespread precipitation to southeast Michigan from late on the 13th through midday on the 14th. North of Detroit, nearly all of the precipitation fell in the form of freezing rain, with small amounts of snow and sleet noted in a few spots. From Detroit and Ann Arbor south to the state-line, the freezing rain changed to rain, but not before heavy ice accumulations occurred. Total precipitation amounts ranged from 1.5 to nearly 2.5 inches from Detroit and Ann Arbor south to the Ohio state-line. From the northern suburbs of Detroit north to Flint and Port Huron, amounts ranged from 0.8 to 1.5 inches. North of that area, amounts ranged from 0.40 to 0.80 inches. In the Detroit Metropolitan area, the ice storm resulted in power outages to over 425,000 homes and businesses; the 3rd largest outage in history, and the worst ever for an ice storm. Several thousand residents were without power for as long as 4 days. In addition to powerlines, falling trees damaged dozens of cars and houses throughout the area. Most schools were closed, and there were numerous auto accidents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5590008. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.