Winter Storm in Isabella, Michigan

Six to seven inches of snow reported in portions of Isabella county resulting in very hazardous travel conditions.

A winter storm strengthened as it tracked east northeastward just south of Lower Michigan on March 1. A swath of 8-12 inches of snow, with localized amounts over a foot, fell from southwest lower Michigan into the thumb region. The winter storm featured two main rounds of heavier snow, separated by a 2-3 hour period of light freezing rain and sleet mainly south of Interstate 96. The freezing rain was enough to coat vehicles in a thin layer of ice. No significant power outages were noted. The freezing rain and sleet occurred from late morning into early afternoon as the low pressure center tracked closest to Michigan. A thin layer of warm air well above the ground was able to melt snowflakes, but surface temperatures in the lower 20s resulted in freezing rain and sleet rather than just plain rain. The atmosphere sufficiently cooled by mid afternoon and changed the precipitation back to all snow. A significant burst of heavy snow during the afternoon hours brought traffic to a crawl. This resulted in hundreds of school closings on March 1st and 2nd.