Southern Houghton storm history

There were blizzard conditions with frequent wind gusts of 40-55 mph and snowfall of 8-12 in Southern Houghton County. The Houghton ASOS (KCMX) peak gust was 60 mph and K.I. Sawyer AWOS (KSAW) peak gust was 53 mph before the wind sensor stopped reporting. Isolated power outages. …

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

Up to 7 inches of snow, combined with temperatures plummeting below freezing, resulted in slippery roadways from the evening of the 18th through the morning of the 19th. Key impacts: travel delays, school closures.

Heavy snow totaling 1.5 to 2.5 feet 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 and powerlines, resulting in power outages. Twenty-two percent…

The first accumulating snowfall of the year brought 4 to 6 inches to the area. Key impacts: transportation delays.

Several rounds of wintry precipitation occurred from the evening of the 28th through the evening of the 30th. First, a round of thunderstorms and sleet during the evening of the 28th resulted in slippery conditions. Then, heavy snow developed on the 30th, accumulating 8 to 14 inc…

Heavy snow and gusty winds occurred on the 23rd into early on the 24th, resulting in treacherous travel conditions and snowfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches. Key impacts: travel delays, school and business closures.

Strong winds and heavy snow brought blizzard conditions to the region on the 5th. Total snowfall ranged from around 8 to 20 inches. Key impacts: school, church, and building closures, travel delays.

Several hours of blizzard conditions were reported during the afternoon and evening of the 6th. The Nisula MDOT mesonet site reported frequent gusts above 35+ mph from 12 PM to 4 PM. Several hours of blizzard conditions were reported during the afternoon and evening of the 6th. K…

Bitter cold wind chills in the 25 below to nearly 40 below zero range were observed throughout much of the period. Schools were closed throughout Houghton County on the 20th and 21st due to the bitter cold.

There was a public report via Facebook of an estimated five inches of snow in Nisula over an approximate 14-hour period.

An estimated 3 to 6 inches of lake effect snow fell across southern Houghton County over a 24-hour period. North winds gusting over 35 mph at times also caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow, resulting in hazardous travel conditions.

There was a Facebook report of 13.5 inches of lake effect snow in Alston over 24 hours.

Bitter cold wind chills around 25 below zero were reported by the Nisula MDOT weather station.

An estimated 4 to 6 inches of lake effect snow fell over southern Houghton County during approximately a 24-hour period.

There was a report via social media of 8 inches of snow at Nisula in approximately 16 hours.

Heat indices were around 100 degrees across much of northern Houghton County.

A widespread 3 to 6 inches of wet, heavy snow across the county combined with blowing snow from north winds gusting to 40 mph at times caused very hazardous travel conditions on the 1st. Schools were closed throughout the county on the 1st.

There was a social media report of four inches of wet snow in Kenton in approximately 12 hours.

An estimated 5 to 9 inches of snow fell over an approximate 12-hour period. North winds gusting near 35 mph also caused blowing and drifting of snow. Schools were closed throughout the county on the 23rd.

Wind chills lowered into the 25 below to 30 below zero range on the morning of the 3rd throughout southern Houghton County.

Wind chill readings were in the 25 below to 30 below range through much of the period.

An estimated lake enhanced storm total snowfall of 12 to 15 inches fell during the event. Northwest winds gusting to 40 mph at times caused occasional whiteout conditions from the afternoon of the 23rd into the 24th.

There was a social media report of an estimated 2.5 inches of snow at Nisula in six hours.

An estimated storm-total snowfall of 10 to 12 inches of wet heavy snow over much of southern Houghton County. The heavy wet snow combined with north winds gusting near 30 mph caused power outages to hundreds of customers during the event, and closed schools on the 17th.

The heat index peaked at 97 degrees at the mesonet station eight miles north of Kenton during the late afternoon of the 18th.

Estimated heat indices were in the 100F to 105F range both days across the county and stayed above 80F through the evening hours on the 20th.

The USFS reported to dispatch that the Estes Lake Wildfire had burned nearly 16 acres northwest of Sidnaw. Three structures were destroyed in the fire, one camp and two outbuildings and one vehicle was also destroyed.

Estimated widespread freezing rain of 0.25 inches or more caused treacherous and icy road conditions, tree damage and widespread power outages during the period. Schools were cancelled on the 23rd due to the impacts from the freezing rain.

Portions of southern Houghton County likely saw episodes of light ice accumulation from freezing rain during the period.

An estimated 8 to 10 inches of snow fell over southern Houghton County over an approximate 12-hour period.

An estimated 7 to 8 inches of snow fell across the area in a 24-hour time period. Schools were closed throughout the county on the 6th due to impacts from the heavy snow.

There was a public report of an estimated 11 inches of lake effect snow in less than 24 hours near Kenton.

Wind chill readings of 25 to 30 below zero were common during the nighttime and morning hours from the night of the 12th into the morning of the 15th.

Wind chill readings dropped to 25 to 35 below zero each morning and night from the 7th into the 9th.

An estimated 8 to 10 inches of storm total snowfall occurred during the event based on nearby observations.

Social media reports of lake effect snow totals over an approximate 12-hour period included 12 inches at Nisula and 14 inches at Alston.

Based on adjacent reports, there was estimated eight inches of wet, heavy snow which fell across southern Houghton County during the event.

Wind chill values lowered as low as 30 below zero on the morning of the 14th.

There was an estimated eight inches of wet snow in 12 hours over portions of southern Houghton County.

An estimated 8 to 10 inches of wet, heavy snow fell in approximately 12 hours. The combination of dense snow and northerly winds gusting to 40 to 45 mph caused damage to trees and power lines. Many businesses closed on the 27th due to the storm.

There was an estimated four to six inches of wet snow in less than ten hours across the county. Sleet mixed in with the snow at times. Area schools were closed on the 12th due to impacts from the storm.

An estimated six to eight inches of wet snow fell in less than eight hours across southern Houghton County. Many churches and businesses were closed on the 24th due to impacts from the storm.

Blizzard conditions were reported throughout the county during the afternoon and evening of the 24th. Northwest winds gusting to 45 to 55 mph at times caused considerable blowing and drifting of snow and closed many secondary roads. Schools throughout the county were closed on th…

An estimated four to five inches of snow fell across southern Houghton County in less than 12 hours.

There was a public report of nearly 12 inches at Kenton in less than 18 hours. Most schools were closed on the 12th and delayed two hours on the 13th due to effects from the storm.

An estimated six to eight inches of snow fell in approximately seven hours. Many schools throughout the county dismissed classes early on the 7th and remained closed into the 8th due to the storm.

An estimated tenth to one quarter inch of ice and sleet accumulation occurred across southern Houghton County on the 4th. Schools throughout the county were closed on the 4th due to the ice and sleet and slippery conditions.