Winter Storm — Kalkaska, Michigan

2018-04-13 to 2018-04-15 · Kalkaska, Michigan

Wider weather episode

An extended period of wintry precipitation struck northern Michigan in mid April. This was a drawn-out event, but the heaviest precipitation occurred on the night of the 13th into early on the 14th, and again late the night of the 14th all the way into the morning of the 16th. The initial batch was driven by an area of low pressure that crossed from the mid-Mississippi Valley into the southern Great Lakes. This produced mostly snow north of M-72 in northern lower Michigan, with an icy wintry mix to the south. Snowfall amounts of 8 to 14 inches were common, centered on the Alpena, Gaylord, Bellaire, Maple City, and Lewiston areas. The next batch, centered on the 15th, produced an ugly, sleet-heavy wintry mix. This was driven as the primary low finally moved across Indiana and Ohio. One to five inches of sleet accumulations were common across most of northern Michigan. Some light freezing rain also fell at times, but was heavier south of M-72, where ice accumulations approached a quarter of an inch. Precipitation turned back to snow before ending, and eastern upper and far northern lower Michigan picked up another 6 to 9 inches of snow beofre the system exited for go.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 753230. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.