Blizzard — Missaukee, Michigan

2019-02-24 to 2019-02-25 · Missaukee, Michigan

Wider weather episode

A high-impact winter storm blasted northern Michigan with ice, snow, and wind. Intense low pressure would move almost due north up the long axis of Lake Michigan on the 24th. The initial push of precipitation into northern Michigan fell as freezing rain, with a number of places seeing around an eighth of an inch of ice accumulation on the day and night of the 23rd. Cold air blasted back into the region during the day and night of the 24th, on high westerly winds. That changed precipitation to snow, which diminished early on the 25th. The highest snowfall amounts were 11 inches near Gaylord, and 7 inches near Sault Ste Marie as well as Cadillac. Meanwhile, wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph were common during the day and night of the 24th. Mackinac Island had a measured gust to 63 mph, and Traverse City gusted to 60 mph. A few trees were downed by the wind here and there. The combination of snow and wind resulted in outright blizzard conditions across a good portion of northern Michigan - a rarity. Many roads (especially north-south roads) were rendered impassable by blowing and drifting snow, and drifts as high as 6 feet were not unheard of. Travel became nearly impossible by late afternoon of the 24th, and remained that way until the snow was gradually cleaned up on the 25th or even later.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 811489. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.