Delta storm history

A 36-male from Wisconsin who was visiting relatives in Escanaba went missing late on the 16th. Law enforcement found his body in the woods near the northern fence line of the Delta County Airport late on the 18th. The cause of death was determined to be hypothermia as temperature…

There was a report of around two inches of slushy snow on the highways in Delta County when a one vehicle fatal accident occurred at approximately 8 am on the 23rd. The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle lost control of his vehicle on County Road 416 in Cornell due to the sl…

The Coast Guard confirmed that a teenage boy drowned on the afternoon of the 17th in a structural rip current at Aronson Island in Escanaba. He was carried offshore by the rip current and then was overcome by the crashing of 3-4 foot waves.

Two inches of wet slushy snow contributed to a fatal car crash near Rapid River at shortly before 430 pm on the afternoon of the 9th as reported by the Michigan State Police post in Gladstone. Two elderly women from Rapid River were pronounced dead at the scene when the car they …

There were blizzard conditions with frequent wind gusts of 40-50 mph and snowfall of 8-20 in Delta County. The Escanaba ASOS (KESC) peak gust was 37 mph before it stopped reporting. Road closures included M-35 due to downed power lines. Up to around 25% of customers without power…

Light freezing rain resulted in up to 0.25 of ice accretion, causing slippery roads. Key impacts: transportation delays.

Heavy snow ranging from a trace in the western part of the county to nearly two feet in the east, along with winds gusting 35 to 45 miles per hour, resulted in very difficult travel conditions due to accumulating and blowing snow. The heavy snow and strong winds downed some trees…

The first accumulating snowfall of the year brought 2 to 8 inches to the area, heaviest over the northern portion of the county. Key impacts: transportation delays.

Public report of downed trees between Sac Bay and Fayette. Most of Garden Peninsula lost power for around 2 hours.

Escanaba Public Safety investigator confirmed a lightning strike started a fire causing severe damage at the Bonifas Arts Center and Theater. The theater suffered heavy fire and water damage, with an estimated 6 to 9 months of closure. The arts center was closed for approximately…

A final round of freezing rain and sleet turned to snow on the 30th, with 4 to 8 inches of snowfall before it ended early on the 31st. The additional snow exacerbated travel impacts from the earlier freezing rain. Key impacts: travel delays, school and business closures.

Up to 0.5 inches of ice accumulation was reported, which led to impassable roads, numerous downed trees and lines, and power outages. US 2 at US 41 in Escanaba was closed for up to 8 hours due to downed power lines. Warming shelters were established for those who lost power, and …

Heavy wet snow of 6 to 10 inches accumulated, resulting in treacherous travel conditions. Key impacts: travel delays, traffic accidents, school and business closures.

The AWOS at the Delta County Airport (KESC) reported a wind chill of -21 degrees at 8 AM on the 17th. The mesonet station AW433 Rock reported a wind chill of -20 degrees 9 AM on the 17th. The Delta County Airport AWOS reported a wind chill of -24 degrees the morning of the 18th. …

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to 35 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Delta County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

The observer at Garden Corners measured 5.4 inches of snow over a 24-hour period.

Public report from social media of a downed tree in a driveway approximately three miles north of Cornell.

Facebook photos were relayed by a local meteorologist of large tree limbs down in the Escanaba area.

The town supervisor reported several trees and wires down across Ford River Township which led to power outages.

Pictures relayed by local broadcast media of several medium to large tree branches down in Gladstone.

Pictures of a large tree snapped in Flat Rock.

A mesonet station four miles south-southeast of Cornell measured a 62 mph gust from a thunderstorm.

Observer reports of a widespread 3 to 7 inches of wet, heavy snow combined with north winds to 30 mph at times caused tree damage, power outages to more than 4100 customers and closed schools throughout the county on the 3rd.

Snowfall reports over an approximate 24-hour period included 5 inches at Bark River and 4 to 5 inches in the Escanaba-Gladstone area.

Observers across southern Delta County measured between 4 and nearly 6 inches of wet snow over an approximate nine-hour period.

Bitter cold wind chills around 25 below zero were reported from Escanaba to Rock to near Trenary. Most schools throughout Delta County were closed on the 16th due to the cold.

Facebook snowfall reports over an approximate 24-hour period included 8.5 inches at Rapid River and 6.5 inches at Escanaba. North to northeast winds gusting from 25 to 30 mph also caused blowing and drifting of snow and reduced visibility at times.

Several days of well above normal to near record warm high and low temperatures and continued snowmelt led to periods of dense fog over Delta County from the 22nd into the 26th. The dense fog also led to the disruption or cancellation of flights in and out of Delta County Airport…

Report from social media included description of damage and posted image. Observer stated that he came home and found large storage shed/carport thrown and wrapped around trees. The frame of the shed was destroyed and it was anchored down. Not much damage elsewhere aside from som…

Michigan DOT reported snowmelt flood water over US Highway 41 between 27.75 and US Highway 2 near Rapid River on the 13th. Flooding was also reported along the Sturgeon River near Nahma Junction from the 15th through the 23rd.

A widespread estimated quarter inch of ice accumulation from freezing rain occurred across much of Delta County in the early morning of the 5th. The Garden Corners observer reported a frozen anemometer. Utility companies reported widespread power outages impacting several hundred…

Storm total observer and spotter snowfall reports from late on March 31st to late morning of April 1st included 10 inches in Garden, 5-9 inches in the Escanaba-Gladstone area and 7-9 inches in the Rapid River area. The heavy snow combined with northeast winds gusting to 45 mph at…

Observer wet snowfall reports over an approximate 14-hour period included 5.5 inches at Bark River and 4 inches at Gladstone.

Observer wet snowfall reports over 12 hours included 3.5 inches at Bark River and 4.4 inches at Garden Corners.

Snowfall totals on the 6th across Delta County included 8.5 inches at Bark River, 3-4 inches in the Gladstone-Escanaba area and 3 inches at Garden Corners.

Observers measured 3 to 5 inches of snow across the county over more than a 12-hour period. Schools throughout the county were closed on the 28th as plow crews were dealing with the cleanup from the snowfall.

Observers measured between 4 and 10 inches of snow across Delta County over an approximate 21-hour period with the greatest snow amounts in Escanaba and near Brampton. North winds gusting near 30 mph also causing blowing and drifting of snow, and schools were closed throughout th…

Wind chill readings lowered near 25 below zero on the morning of the 31st.

Snowfall reports across the county included 13 inches at Nahma Junction, 12-14 inches at Garden Corners and 9 to 11 inches in the Gladstone-Escanaba area. Schools were closed across the county on the 19th.

The observer at Garden Corners measured over 11 inches of lake enhanced snow over a three-day period. Northwest winds gusting near 40 mph at times also caused occasional whiteout conditions in snow and blowing snow.

Strong south winds were observed at the Fairport GLOS during the period with a peak gust to 60 mph.

Strong northwest winds gusting to an estimated 40 mph caused sporadic power outages knocking out power to hundreds of customers in the Cornell area along the Escanaba River on the 18th.

Multiple power outages were reported in southern Delta County with the main outage area from Gladstone eastward along US-41 and US-2 to Nahma Junction. There were multiple lightning flashes reported in that area.

Heat indices peaked anywhere from 96 to 102 degrees in Delta County during the early evening of the 18th.

Estimated heat indices were between 95F and 100F across the interior portion of the county on the afternoon of the 21st and stayed above 80F through the evening hours.

Escanaba Public Safety Dispatch reported a damaged tree down on a power line near the Michigan DNR station in Escanaba.

There was a public report of a poplar tree snapped halfway up the tree on the bluff in Gladstone. Another tree was snapped near the base of the trunk.