Power Outage in Coldwater, MI

Heavy wet snow, wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph, and visibilities reduced to less than a quarter of a mile at times created difficult travel. There were a few reports of power outages and wind damage. Storm total snow accumulations generally ranged between 7 and 9 inches across the county, with thundersnow and snowfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour at times. There was a report of 8.5 inches of snow in Kinderhook.

Periods of freezing rain led to heavy ice accretion on elevated surfaces. The combination of this ice accretion and gusty winds to around 35 mph led to widespread tree and power line damage across the county. Ice accretions of two tenths to three tenths of an inch occurred on elevated surfaces across the county. Widespread power outages were reported.

Nearby ASOS and AWOS sites reported wind gusts as great as 60 mph. Frequent gusts of 40 to 50 mph from west and northwest were observed in the area through the early afternoon. These wind gusts resulted in instances of tree damage and subsequent power outages.

Power poles broken. Three inch tree limbs broken.

Periods of freezing rain with temperatures near freezing accumulated to between 0.10 and 0.20 across the area on New Year's Day, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. This led to a few reports of tree limbs down and spotty power outages across the region. There were also reports of a few car accidents as roads were slick in spots.

Trees and power lines down. Blocking Dorrance Road.

Trees, tree limbs, power lines and poles were all reported down in spots across the county.

Local dispatch officials reported trees across the road. Also, power lines were reported down on Mason Rd.

Local media reported trees uprooted and blown over with some power lines down.

Long duration sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts of 50 to 55 mph occurred across the county, resulting in trees, tree limbs and power poles suffering damage.

Freezing rain, at times mixed with sleet, accumulated up to 0.30 inches in spots on February 12th. Numerous slide-offs and minor accidents occurred across the county. Many schools and some businesses were closed on February 12th due to the icy conditions. Fallen tree branches were reported across the region, with many onto power lines creating scattered power outages.

Reports of trees and power lines down which resulted in some damage to cars and some structural damage of houses.

The public reported several trees and tree limbs down onto power lines and some homes.

A combination of freezing rain, sleet, and wind gusts to 40 mph created scattered power outages and downed trees. Slick spots on mainly elevated surfaces also aided in difficult travel and a few accidents. Ice accumulations across the county generally ranged between 0.05 and 0.20 inches, with sleet accumulations around a half inch.

Tree downed across roadway. Power lines onto vehicle.

Several trees down in and around the Coldwater area. Some trees and power lines onto vehicles or roadway.

Light snow developed during the late evening hours of January 31st and became heavy at times February 1st into early February 2nd. Total snow accumulations across the county generally ranged between 13 and 17 inches. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph, combined with the falling snow, created reduced visibilities and blowing snow. Numerous events were cancelled across the region, along with reports of slide-offs and accidents due to snow covered and slick roads. There were also reports of road closures in rural areas as unplowed roads became impassible. The heavy, wet, nature of the snow also led to sporadic power outages.

Emergency management officials reported power lines down in the area from strong winds and impacts of tree limbs.

Temperatures dropped into the single digits and teens below zero as arctic air filtered in behind a powerful winter storm that dropped more than a foot of heavy snow on the region. Strong westerly winds, with gusts between 30 and 40 mph, created deadly wind chills and significant blowing and drifting snow. Dangerous winds chills between 30 and 45 degrees below zero were common. The extremely cold temperatures and significant blowing snow kept many north-south roads impassable or restricted to single lanes. There were numerous reports of accidents and slide-offs across the region due to the slick roadways, with many businesses and schools closed each day.

Emergency management officials reported numerous power lines down from strong winds.

Emergency management officials reported a tree was blown down, blocking a local road. Power lines were also down in the area.

County dispatch officials reported power lines down on East Central Road.

Emergency management officials reported trees and power lines down on Wheeler Road.

Rain changed over to heavy wet snow Tuesday afternoon and continued into the evening hours before ending. Total snow accumulations ranged between 5 and 9 inches across the county. There was a public report of 8.0 inches of total snow accumulation at Sherwood with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour at times. The heavy wet snow created localized power outages, along with hazardous driving conditions which resulted in accidents and slide-offs. There were also reports of school delays and cancellations the next morning.

Emergency management officials reported a tree down on County Road 6. Power lines were arcing in the area.

Emergency management officials reported a large branch blown down onto power lines. Both the branch and power lines landed on a vehicle. No one was injured.

Emergency management officials reported trees and power lines down in roughly 15 locations across the county. Damage is estimated at around $25,000.

Emergency management officials reported a large limb down onto a power line and pole near Bronson, causing a fire at the pole.

Freezing rain developed around noon on February 20th and continued through the rest of the day into the early morning hours of February 21st. Ice accretions of 0.30 to 0.50 were common across the county. This created significant icing on power lines and trees which led to widespread power outages across the county. There were also reports of slide-offs and accidents.

Emergency management officials reported power lines down in the Rose Lake area.

Emergency management officials reported a tree down onto power lines at Girard and Bell Roads.

Law enforcement officials reported numerous trees and power lines down south of Coldwater.

Widespread trees and power lines down in Coldwater, Sherwood, Girard and Bronson in Branch County.

Numerous trees and power lines down.

Law enforcement reported widespread power outages and a tree that fell on a car.

Very windy conditions were seen across the area on December 9th as a deep area of low pressure tracked into northern Lower Michigan. Wind gusts between 45 and 60 mph were common during the late morning and afternoon hours. There were reports of power lines and trees down across the region due to the strong winds, which resulted in isolated power outages.

County officials reported scattered to numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines down across the county.

Snow developed early December 19th and continued through the bulk of the morning hours. The snow mixed with freezing rain and sleet at times, with some icing reported on trees and power lines. There were reports of nearly 2 to 5 inches of snow across the county. The sleet, snow, and freezing rain led to icy road conditions with reports of slide-offs and accidents around the area.

Emergency management officials reported trees and power lines down in the Bronson area.

Emergency management officials reported numerous trees and power lines down across the county.

Trees and power lines down were reported down in parts of the county, including the Coldwater area.

A brief burst of light to moderate snow, mixed at times with sleet during the evening hours switched over to freezing rain into the early morning hours of the 2nd. Ice accumulations of a tenth to quarted inch coated trees, power lines and roads. More than 2 dozen slide offs and accidents were reported in and around the Coldwater area. The most serious accident occurred on southbound I-69 near Pearl Road, where a van carrying a number of people careened off the road. One person was killed and 7 others suffered varying injuries with some of injured being ejected from the van. Some power outages as winds of 15 to 25 mph caused some power lines to break.

A large tree was blown down onto power lines 6 miles north of Coldwater. Dime size hail was also reported in the area.

Tree limbs and power lines were down due to the accumulation of around one half inch of ice across the county. One injury was reported in Bronson where a large limb fell into a car pinning the driver. The severity of the injuries were not available.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in and around Coldwater.

Semi truck blown over in Coldwater. Numerous trees and power lines down throughout the county as well.

Winds across portions of far southern Lower Michigan were sustained in the 25 to 35 mph range with some areas reporting gusts between 45 to as high as 55 mph. Reports of small branches down and a few downed power lines were received. Some of the measured wind gusts included 53 mph at Coldwater, 51 in Hillsdale and 48 mph at Benton Harbor.

Six trees reported blown down. Two power poles also blown down near US 12.

Emergency management reported trees and power lines down in Coldwater. A barn was also blown over.

An intense area of low pressure moving across Michigan produced sustained winds of 40 MPH with measured gusts to 60 MPH across all of Northern Indiana, Northwest Ohio and Southwest Lower Michigan from late morning through early evening. Widespread reports of trees and power lines downwere received from law enforcement across the region.

Winds gusted to 65 MPH behind a strong cold front that moved across the region during the late afternoon and evening. Numerous power outages occurred with trees and power lines down.

Emergency management reported trees and power lines down in Litchfield.

Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in Coldwater.

Spotters reported trees and power lines down west of East Gilead.

An unusually strong cold front moved through the region during the daylight hours of the 9th. A strong pressure gradient existed with the front as 3 hour pressure falls of 4 millibars ahead of the front combined with 3 hour pressure rises of 11 millibars. Winds just above the surface ranged from 70 to 80 mph. The combination of these 2 factors was tapped by a narrow line of showers immediately ahead of the cold front. Widespread reports of trees, tree limbs and power lines being blown down were received as surface winds of 50 to 70 mph were experienced by many areas.

Power lines and trees down at scattered locations throughout county.

Periods of freezing rain brought heavy ice accretions across portions of south central and southwest Lower Michigan. Some icy road conditions were reported but the greatest impacts were from downed trees and power lines due to ice accretion on elevated surfaces and gusty winds. Widespread power outages were reported due to the downed trees and power lines across south central Lower Michigan.

A squall line moved through southern Michigan. Damage to trees and power lines was common.

A period of freezing rain, followed by a brief burst of heavy snow, created difficult travel and isolated instances of tree and power line damage. Ice accretions generally ranged between 0.10 and 0.20.

Freezing rain accumulated to near a quarter of an inch during the morning of February 12th as low pressure lifted north toward the Lower Great Lakes region. This created difficult travel, along with scattered power outages due to falling trees and tree limbs.

East to west oriented MLCAPE axis of 1000 to 2000 J/KG existed across far southern Lower Michigan and far northern Indiana. Effective shear was maximized across northwestern Indiana but did lower somewhat with southward extent. A line of thunderstorms moved across southern Lake Michigan into northwestern Indiana. Additional storms developed further south along theta-e axis. Result was damaging wind gusts, a few that were significant with reports of trees, tree limbs and power lines down in several areas. Localized flooding occurred in some areas, mainly those prone to high water.

Freezing rain and sleet, in combination with gusty winds, created difficult travel and scattered power outages on December 28th. Ice accretions between 0.05 inches and 0.20 inches were common, with sleet accumulations up to near 1 inch.

Ice accumulations between 0.25 and 0.50 impacted portions of southern Michigan as a steady freezing rain fell north of a stalled out frontal boundary during the afternoon and evening hours of February 20th. The freezing rain finally tapered off during the early morning hours of February 21st, leaving power outages and icy roads in its wake.

A strong mid level trough and resultant increased wind field interacted with a stationary boundary and moderate instability. A long lived squall line developed across Illinois and moved east into far southern Lower Michigan. Numerous reports of trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down with winds more than 70 mph at times.

Deep low pressure tracked across the Great Lakes, dragging along a strong cold front. Behind the front sustained winds were frequently in the 35 to 45 mph range with gusts of between 55 and as high as 70 mph in some areas. This caused scattered to numerous trees and power line damage along with some structure damage.

Unseasonable warm and moist air interacted with a powerful cold front to bring several small lines of thunderstorms. While the majority of the stronger winds were not able to reach the ground, some wind gusts in the 60 to over 70 mph range were noted across parts of far southern lower Michigan.

A powerful winter storm tracked in from the gulf states with abundant moisture. Cold air was in place across far southern Lower Michigan, allowing the precipation to fall in the form of snow, which was heavy in many locations. Accumulations across the area ranged from six inches to more than a foot. The highest amounts ranging from 12 to 14 inches were found across much of St. Joseph and western parts of Branch county. Many schools and business were closed the following day due to the snow as well as strong winds which caused large drifts.

A powerful winter storm blanketed far southern Lower Michigan with heavy snow and strong winds. This caused widespread whiteout conditions across the area with many roads becoming impassable due to drifting snowfall. Numerous schools and businesses were closed on Valentines day as a result of the dangerous weather. The blowing and drifting was so widespread, that many counties pulled the snow plows from the roads and declared travel restrictions to all but emergency vehicles. 6 to as much as 9 inches fell across the area.

Low level temperatures climbed above freezing in a strong overrunning setup. A shallow layer of below freezing surface temperatures existed across far southern Lower Michigan. Reports of one quarter to one half inch of freezing rain was reported. Trees and power lines were damaged from the ice accumulations. Road crews were prepared for the storm and as a result impacts to roads were limited, only resulting in a few accidents and school delays. One injury was reported west of the city of Coldwater in Batavia Township, where a large tree limb fell onto a vehicle, pinning the driver and causing injuries of unknown severity.

...Synoptic and mesoscale conditions on December 11th...An unseasonably cold arctic airmass spilling southward out of southern Canada on the 10th combined with a very strong upper level disturbance and upper level jet of 160 knots came together over the Midwest early on the 11th. Surface low pressure developed over Oklahoma early on the 11th and rapidly deepened as it lifted northeastward into central Indiana by late afternoon. Heavy snow developed quickly during the morning and mixed with some sleet at times due to the tremendous warm air advection out ahead of the intensifing system. Heavy snow continued into the early morning hours of the 12th with thunder snow reported at several locations in northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan within the mid level deformation zone of the upper low. As the surface low continued to intensify and pull out into Ohio during the night of the 11th...strong gradient winds developed creating near blizzard conditions over northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan and caused some damage to trees and power lines over northwest Ohio with wind gusts of 59 mph reported in Putnam Ohio and 56 mph in Lima Ohio. Some notable storm total snowfall reports included 16 inches in Cassopolis... 14 in Elkhart... 13.5 in Goshen... 12 in Niles, St. Joseph, Salem Center, and the South Bend airport... and 10 inches in Berrien Springs, Westville, Middlebury, Mishawaka, Union, and White Pigeon.