Winter Storm — Barry, Michigan

2016-03-01 · Barry, Michigan

Event narrative

Thirteen to fourteen inches of snow was reported from Hastings to Delton in central Barry county. Travel conditions became very hazardous on March 1st into March 2nd due to the heavy snow.

Wider weather episode

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.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 624224. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.