Power Outage in Traverse City, MI

Broadcast media report of power lines down on Hartman road.

Widespread tree and powerline damage countywide between approximately 1030 and 1100 PM.

Power lines were downed in Mapleton, blocking a road. Trees and power lines were downed in the Holiday Hills area, east of Traverse City, with roads blocked.

Several trees were downed near Seventh Street. The power was knocked out in much of Traverse City. A 56 mph gust was measured at Cherry Capital Airport.

Trees and power lines down.

An impressive sub-980mb cyclone tracked across western Lake Superior into Ontario during the morning of 12/16, bringing widespread wind gusts of 60-70mph across all of northern Michigan. The highest gust recorded was 70mph at Traverse City Cherry Capitol airport. Widespread downed trees, limbs and powerlines were seen across the County Warning Area, leaving many with power outages that extended for several days. Some schools and businesses across the area were forced to close for the day due to power outages. The Mackinac Bridge was forced to partially close to high profile vehicles for around 12 hours due to winds reported of 82 mph from the mid-span of the bridge.

Powerful thunderstorms developed over Lake Michigan late in morning of the 8th, ahead of an incoming cold front. These storms produced very large hail, and some damaging winds, as they swept across northern Michigan. Approximately 60 percent of the cherry crop in northwest lower Michigan was damaged by the severe thunderstorms.

A large and complex low pressure system lifted toward the southern and western Great Lakes region, bumping into high pressure over northern Ontario and Quebec. The high helped anchor cold air in place at low levels, while warm and moist air surged in aloft ahead of the low. This resulted in a wide mix of wintry precipitation, developing on the afternoon of the 11th, and ending late that night. Eastern Upper Michigan was far enough north to get mostly snow, with up to nine inches measured in Pickford. In northern Lower, snow transitioned to sleet and freezing rain, and in some places to just rain before dwindling. Ice amounts were substantial near Saginaw Bay, with 3/4 of an inch of ice in parts of Gladwin County. Trees and large limbs were downed, and power outages were common. Another pocket of lighter ice accumulations, around a quarter of an inch, extended from the Grand Traverse Bay region, east to near Gaylord.

A powerful low pressure system passed across Southern Lower Michigan on the night of the 20th. Precipitation surged north into Northern Michigan early in the day on the 20th, falling primarily as snow over Eastern Upper and the high terrain of Northern Lower, and as a rain/snow mix near the coasts. The snow was heavy where it was all snow, with 6 to 9 inches falling during the day in some areas. As night arrived, cooler air started to enter the region, and precipitation changed to all snow (except near Saginaw Bay). Another, more widespread round of heavy snow resulted. Total snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches were common near the Northern Lower Michigan coastline, ramping up to 10 to 20 inches in Eastern Upper and higher terrain of Northern Lower. The highest accumulations, 18 to 20 inches, fell on Gaylord in Northern Lower Michigan, and Kinross in Eastern Upper. The snow was wet and sticky early on, especially in Northern Lower, and the resulting weight of the snow produced considerable damage to trees. Hundreds of downed trees and limbs resulted in widespread power outages in parts of Northern Lower, some of which weren't restored until around Christmas Day. Travel was brought to a near-standstill in some areas for a day or two, with gusty winds throughout the event producing problems with blowing and drifting snow. All told, this was very much a high-impact winter storm in Northern Michigan.

One of the highest-impact snowstorms in recent memory pounded Northern Michigan on the night of the 2nd. Low pressure tracked from Missouri, to southern Lower Michigan, and on to eastern Canada, while rapidly strengthening. Precipitation surged northward into the region on the evening of the 2nd. This was primarily snow, except in parts of east central Lower Michigan (especially near Lake Huron), where temperatures were mild enough for rain. Snow wound down on the morning of the 3rd, and though somewhat blustery winds occurred behind the system on the 3rd, blowing snow was limited because the snowfall was so wet.|Snow totals ranged from 6 to 14 inches across most of Northern Michigan. Higher amounts fell near and west of Grand Traverse Bay, with a maximum amount of 20 inches near Lake Ann. With relatively warm temperatures, the snow was very wet; Traverse City saw around a foot of snow during the night, with a low temperature of 33 degrees. The snow stuck to everything, with the weight of the snow downing many, many trees and power lines. Power outages were widespread, with an outright majority of Northern Michigan residents losing power at some time during or after the storm. In Benzie County, 95 percent of residents lost power. Outages lasted up to a week in some spots. Great Lakes Energy described it as the worst snowstorm (in regards to power outages) in 30 years. A number of counties and communities opened shelters to aid those without power or heat. Also included in the tree damage was substantial damage to fruit trees in the Grand Traverse Bay region, particularly cherry trees. In Corwith Township in Otsego County, the weight of snow caused the roof of the former township hall to collapse.

An historically deep low pressure system lifted across Minnesota on the 26th, and passed just north of Lake Superior on the 27th. This storm produced widespread strong to damaging winds across Northern Michigan. Damaging winds kicked in at a few spots by mid-afternoon on the 26th, but the 27th saw the highest winds, with widespread tree and roofing damage, along with power outages. Some vehicles and structures were damaged by falling trees. Power was out for several days at some locations. Peak wind speeds included: 72 mph in Naubinway; 63 mph at Whitefish Point, Manistee Harbor, and Gaylord; 59 mph in Pellston; and 58 mph in Alpena. At one point, the Alpena Airport suspended operations due to flying debris.

A powerful low pressure system moved across Lower Michigan on the 9th. Snow surged northward ahead of the low, with intense snowfall rates on the morning of the 9th. By evening, snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches were common across all of Northern Michigan. Glennie, Rogers City, and Central Lake all had a foot of snow during the day, while Curtis picked up 16 inches. The snow transitioned to lake effect snow that night, and lasted into the 11th in some of the snowbelts. Localized 4 to 8 inch accumulations were common in a given 12 hour period. There was a considerable amount of wind, and thus blowing and drifting snow, especially on the 9th. Gaylord had its 2nd largest three-day snowfall since 1950, with 21.8 inches. Almost all school districts were closed on the 9th, and some schools called off classes for three consecutive days.

A low pressure system intensified rapidly as it passed north of Lake Superior. Rain along the leading edge of the system changed to snow, as cold air blasted into the region on very strong winds during the night of the 29th. Temperatures hovered near zero to the single digits above zero during the day on the 30th, with occasional blinding white-out conditions in falling and blowing snow. Blizzard conditions occurred in the open country of Chippewa County, with near-blizzard conditions across much of the rest of Northern Michigan. The highest snowfall amounts, 6 to 8 inches, occurred in an area from Waters to Petoskey in Northern Lower Michigan. Wind gusts peaked from 40 to 50 mph. Travel was heavily impacted in the region, and the Michigan State Police advised that no one venture out in much of North Central and Northwest Lower Michigan. Parts of US-2 were closed west of St Ignace, and the Mackinac Bridge was closed to high profile vehicles. There were numerous accidents on area roads. School and event cancellations were widespread, and there were also sporadic power outages.

A deep, occluded low pressure system moved northeast across Western Upper Michigan during the daylight hours of the 23rd. As colder air entered the region, rain turned to snow. Southwest winds off of Lake Michigan enhanced snowfall into parts of Northwest Lower Michigan. Places west of Cadillac and Traverse City picked up three to eight inches of snowfall, with eight in Wellston, and nearly seven in Honor and Suttons Bay. Gusty winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow. A few gusts of 40 to 50 mph produced spotty power outages near Manistee and Cadillac.

A potent line of thunderstorms developed over Lake Michigan, and moved across Northern Lower Michigan in the early overnight hours. These storms produced a considerable amount of wind damage, especially in Northwest Lower Michigan. There were a number of power outages, most widespread in the Cadillac area.

Another round of April snow blasted Northern Michigan, as low pressure moved from Illinois to central Lake Huron. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 3 to 8 inches across most of Northern Lower Michigan, as well as east of I-75 in Eastern Upper Michigan. The highest amounts, 6 to 8 inches, fell from Kingsley to Lake City and Cadillac, as well as from Wolverine to Lewiston and Glennie. Blustery winds, starting out easterly and turning north and west with time, produced considerable blowing snow. The heavy, wet snow - when combined with the gusty winds - brought down some tree limbs and power lines in Alpena County. In Traverse City, a commercial airliner attempting to land during the snow at Cherry Capital Airport, slid off the end of the runway. No one was injured. At the time of this writing, it was unknown to what degree the weather conditions may have contributed to the accident.

A potent upper level disturbance produced a period of intense snowfall across most of Northern Lower Michigan, centered on the evening of the 10th. Thunder and lightning accompanied the snow for several hours. The snow was very sloppy and wet, with snow-to-liquid ratios around 6 to 1. Thus, though the precipitation was heavy, snowfall amounts were generally only 3 to 6 inches, or a bit under warning criteria. However, the weight of the snow brought down a number of tree limbs and power lines across the region. Parts of Presque Isle, Wexford, and Missaukee Counties were without power for 48 hours.

A large and cold low pressure system settled southward from the Canadian Arctic. Unseasonably cold air allowed precipitation to turn to snow, particularly away from the Lake Michigan shoreline (where warm water temperatures resulted in more rain and less snow). The heaviest snow was lake enhanced, and thus somewhat isolated. DeTour Village picked up nearly a foot of snow, as did Cheboygan. A brief period of thunder and lightning occurred with the heavy snow in this region. The heavy, wet snow caused a tree to fall on a major transmission line, knocking out power to almost all of Eastern Upper Michigan, east of M-129, for several hours. An additional area of 6 to 8 inches of snow fell from Kingsley and Fife Lake, eastward across much of Kalkaska County. Local power outages, caused by fallen tree limbs, were also reported in isolated areas across Northern Lower Michigan.

A potent upper level disturbance brought very cold air aloft into the northern Great Lakes. Abundant sunshine in the morning provided the fuel to power numerous thunderstorms in the afternoon. Thanks to the cold air aloft, a number of these storms produced large hail.

A powerful winter storm moved from Missouri to Southern Lower Michigan on the 16th, bringing several waves of precipitation. The initial band of snow lifted northward into the region in the pre-dawn hours, brining 2 to 6 inches of snow to most of Northern Lower Michigan (generally south of M-68). After a lull, very heavy precipitation arrived in the afternoon. This fell as rain and freezing rain south of a line from Houghton Lake to Harrisville, and snow to the north. Thunder was common in this portion of the event, with 1 to 2 inch per hour snow accumulations (locally higher), and a quarter to a half inch of ice accumulation in places like Gladwin and Tawas City. Another lull arrived in the evening, before wraparound snow and lake effect snow kicked in during the night and continued into the next day. Parts of Chippewa County saw the snow continue into the 18th. Storm total accumulations were from 6 to 15 inches, generally south of M-28, and north of Houghton Lake and Harrisville. The highest accumulations, greater than a foot, were in a narrow band from Frankfort to Gaylord to Rogers City. Strong winds, especially during the afternoon of the 16th through the 17th, produced considerable blowing snow and drifts as high as 4 feet. Many areas schools let out early on the 16th (a Thursday), in anticipation of the heavier round of snow expected that afternoon. That would prove wise, as there were a number of vehicle accidents in the near-zero visibility that the thundersnow produced. A number of schools remained closed into the 17th. There were a number of power outages, especially where ice accumulations were highest, as the strong winds (gusts to 35 mph) brought down ice-covered tree limbs. Some places went without power for several days.

Another big wind storm, as another strong low pressure system moved northeast across Lake Superior. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Sleeping Bear Dunes, 63 mph at Northport, 62 mph at Point Iroquois, 59 mph at Pellston, and 58 mph in Gaylord. Hundreds of trees were downed, and power outages were widespread. A number of homes lost shingles, and several homes and vehicles saw substantial damage when struck by falling trees. A dock on Houghton Lake was flipped over. Business signs and billboards were blown over in Chippewa County. The Mackinac Bridge was closed to all trucks and trailers, causing tremendous backups during this very busy travel period (the lead-up to deer firearms season).

A powerful low pressure system lifted northeast across the northern Great Lakes. Very gusty west to northwest winds downed a number of trees and some power lines, especially in the shoreline counties along Lakes Superior and Michigan.

Low pressure intensified rapidly as it moved through and east of the northern Great Lakes region. Winds rapidly increased behind a cold front passage on the evening of the 12th, with numerous wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. Some of the highest gusts: 62 mph at Pellston (129 am on the 13th), 61 mph at Charlevoix (1014 pm on the 12th), 56 mph at Harbor Springs (1234 am on the 13th) and Oscoda (256 am on the 13th), 77 mph at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (1108 pm on the 12th). The highest wind gust in the region was 79 mph at the Presque Isle Lighthouse (548 am on the 13th). Spotters reported wind gusts in excess of 55 mph at Manistee, Northport, and Ossineke. The winds downed many trees and power lines across the region, producing widespread power outages. In places, power was not restored until the 17th. A utility company in northwest Lower Michigan called it the worst windstorm in 20 years - since the Edmund Fitzgerald storm. Hartwick Pines State Park near Grayling lost over a dozen old-growth red and white pines - the most damage from one storm since the Armistice Day windstorm of 1941. Roof damage was reported in Manistee.The winds also brought much colder air to the region, allowing rain associated with the low pressure system to change to snow. Lake effect snow kicked in during the early morning hours on the 13th, gradually diminishing that afternoon. Accumulations of 2 to 5 inches were common in north-central and northeast Lower Michigan, as well as in eastern Upper Michigan. Combined with the strong winds, substantial blowing and drifting resulted anywhere even a few inches of snow fell. Blizzard conditions occurred in Chippewa County, particularly in the central and eastern portions. Elsewhere in the snowbelts, travel was still severely impaired in the overnight and morning hours.

A prolonged period of mainly mixed precipitation fell across northern Michigan on the 3rd through the 5th. The precipitation fell to the north of a stationary frontal boundary that was located just south of Michigan. The heaviest precipitation occurred as a low moved along the front into the Ohio valley. The precipitation remained mostly snow across eastern upper Michigan, where up to 10 inches of snow fell. Central lower Michigan received up to an inch of ice accumulation due to persistent freezing rain. A mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow fell in between these two locations. Numerous reports of downed tree limbs and power lines were received as a result of the precipitation.

A surge of warm, moist air moved into northern Michigan during the morning hours of the 18th. This allowed widespread rainfall to develop across the region. However, surface temperatures at the onset of the rainfall were in the 20s across northwest Lower Michigan, setting the stage for freezing rain. By late morning, a quarter of an inch of ice had accumulated across much of area, coating exposed surfaces. The main hazzard was icy roads and sidewalks as the ice quickly melted off trees and power lines as surface temperatures climbed above freezing.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across much of northern Lower Michigan during the late evening hours on the 30th and the overnight hours on the 31st. The wind gusts associated with these storms downed many trees and power lines, especially across northwest Lower Michigan.

Thunderstorms broke out ahead of a cold front that crossed northern Lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 18th. Numerous reports of downed trees and power lines were received as the thunderstorms moved through the region.

A major winter storm moved through the Great Lakes region on March 2nd and 3rd. The snow began across northern Michigan during the predawn hours of the 2nd and continued until the morning hours on the 3rd. The storm brought widespread reports of 10 to 16 inches of snowfall to northern Michigan, with the heaviest snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour occurring during the afternoon and evening hours on the 2nd. The snow was particularly wet and heavy across northeast Lower Michigan and numerous tree limbs and power lines were downed in this area.

A strong low pressure system developed over the southern Plains during the the day on the 24th. During the evening of the 24th and through the early morning hours of the 25th, the low moved northeast into central Wisconsin. Warm, moist air surged northward into the northern Great Lakes Region ahead of this storm system. This allowed for widespread rainfall to develop across the Great Lakes. Surface temperatures across northern Lower and eastern Upper Michigan, however, remained below freezing throughout much of the period. This set the stage for freezing rain. Across northern Lower Michigan, the freezing rain began during the evening of the 24th. By late in the evening, a quarter of an inch of ice had accumulated on exposed surfaces. Across eastern Upper Michigan, the freezing rain began late in the evening on the 24th, and continued through the early morning hours of the 25th. By the morning of the 25th, ice had accumulated to between and a quarter and a half inch on exposed surfaces. As the storm system moved northeast across Wisconsin during the morning of the 25th, a surface warm front moved north across Northern Michigan. This quickly allowed surface temperatures to rise well above freezing, thereby rapidly melting the ice on the trees. Widespread tree damage and power outages did not occur with this event, as most trees and power lines were able to sustain the weight of the ice until it melted. Many area roads, however, were extremely icy.

Thunderstorms formed along a warm front that stretched across northern Lower Michigan. The first thunderstorms began in Leelanau County around 400 pm and intensified quickly over the next hour. One thunderstorm intensified west of Traverse City and quickly moved over the downtown area. As the storm moved east of the city, a 60 MPH wind gust was reported, followed by a report of one inch diameter hail. Meanwhile, more storms producing very heavy rainfall formed over Lake Michigan and continued to dump rain over Leelanau county, mainly to the south of Leland and Suttons Bay, as well as over the Traverse City metropolitan area. The rain lasted over these locations from 600 pm to 1130 pm. Another area of thunderstorms formed over northern Benzie county around 700 pm. These also moved into the Traverse City metropolitan area. As with the storms over Leelanau county, these storms persisted until 1130 pm, continually affecting the same areas. Over the 4 to 5 hour period of rainfall, much of Leelanau county reported rainfall amounts ranging from 4 to 8 inches, while amounts ranged from 2 to 6 inches in Benzie and Grand Traverse counties. These storms led to flooding across Leelanau county as well as the northern half of Benzie and Grand Traverse counties. Many secondary roadways across the central and western sections of Leelanau county were washed out. Sections of M-22 running near Suttons Bay received significant damage due to the force of the running water. Several businesses within the town of Glen Arbor were flooded. Many city streets around Traverse City became inundated with as much as 4 feet of standing water. Intense lightning also occurred with these storms. The lightning caused power outages to hundreds of homes and businesses in the Traverse City area.Lightning associated with these storms and many others that night was nearly continuous. One man was killed by the lightning when he and his 9 year old son climbed a small hill behind a shopping mall to view the approaching lightning. The 40 year old father was struck and killed by a lightning bolt. His son was thrown to the ground, but only sustained minor injuries. Emergency crews preformed CPR on the father immediately and a police officer arrived quickly with a defibrillator. However, attempts to revive the man failed. Lightning that Friday night also disrupted numerous high school football games. Many games were cancelled or postponed until the following Saturday morning. Many of the schools which began play had lengthy delays and many waited an hour or more before fans and players could return to the field. This was widely covered by area newspapers and television stations. The cost of postponed games is not known.