A little more than twenty-five years ago this month, we had more than two feet of snow cover Southeast Michigan in just over two days. There was such an enormous amount of snow that the plow crews could not keep up with the prompt removal of the accumulating heavy, wet powder.
For example, my ex-husband, a landscaper, has always been involved in snow and ice management during the winter. A year with one of the largest snowfalls I have ever witnessed, out of six trucks in his company’s fleet, five had transmission failure after two days of plowing.
I won’t mention which automaker made them, but I will say it was his Ford 250 pickup truck that was the last one standing, still getting the job done.
However, even after noting the account of that very snowy winter more than twenty-five years ago, I have further noticed that our winters are not so “wintery” anymore. While we received several inches of snow earlier in November, more than usual, we have had many days since then that have melted all of that snow.
According to a report done by WDIV TV Channel 4 Detroit, “So, it makes sense that the snowiest months of the year are December through March — the coldest months of the year. Snow does sometimes fall in November, and there have been small amounts of snow recorded during October, April and May.
But December through February sees the most snow of all.
When looking at monthly snow reports between 1969-2022, the months that saw the most snowfall, on average, were:
- January, with an average of 12.57 inches of snow;
- February, with an average of 11.46 inches of snow; and
- December, with an average of 10.05 inches of snow.
The absolute snowiest winter season in Detroit was the 2013-2014 winter season, which recorded 94.9 inches of snow. During that winter season, 15.5 inches of snow fell in December 2013, 39.1 inches of snow fell in January 2014, 23.4 inches fell in February and 12.5 inches fell in March. Some light snow also fell in November and April that season,”.
I remember the 2013-2014 winter season, when all that snow fell across the Southeastern portion of Pure Michigan. My sons were still in elementary school, and they had an enormous number of snow days that year. So much so that their school district was concerned that students might have to make up the lost days at the end of the school year, which would have significantly cut their summer vacation short; thankfully, they did not have to.
Overall, that winter was so fun with my sons, since they were at an age when they still liked being with us (their parents), and we often played in the snow with them. We built snow forts, made walking paths in the backyard for the dogs, made sledding hills big enough to do snowboard tricks on, and they got a lot of experience shoveling. The picture above is from that winter, and it shows one of the many times we had to shovel off our deck to prevent it from collapsing because the snow was so heavy!
What town gets the most snow in Michigan?
Even though we (those of us in Southeast Michigan) had a record snowfall in 2013-2014, typically we only get around thirty-five to forty inches of snow, if that, especially in recent years when we have seen fifty degrees on Christmas Day, leaving us without the gift of a white Christmas.
Experts at Travel Ironwood report that, “Michigan’s snowy Upper Peninsula towns are the perfect places to ski, snowboard, sled, or simply unwind at a winter resort. With numerous top-rated mountain lodges and the captivating allure of the snow-coated woods, travelers from all over America visit the area in the winter months. If you are wondering where to visit in the upper peninsula to see the most stunning snowfalls every year, you’ve come to the right place! Below are the snowiest places in Michigan to visit and why each is worth checking out.
Michigan is a very snowy state, especially the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near the Great Lakes. During the latter part of fall and early winter, cold air flows over the relatively warm waters above the Great Lakes, leading to a phenomenon called lake-effect snow.
- Sault Ste Marie, MI
- Hancock, MI
- Houghton, MI
Houghton. Michigan is, without a doubt, one of the snowiest areas in the entire state. In fact, it has been ranked among the snowiest and coldest places in the entire United States! Houghton has annual snowfall averages of approximately 202 inches. Many rank this town as the snowiest place in all of Michigan.
- Ironwood, MI,”.
Two hundred inches of snow is quite a drastic difference from the thirty-five to forty inches of snow that we receive annually in the Southeast Michigan area. Don’t get me wrong, I am okay with that, mainly because my sons are both grown, and their idea of playing in the snow involves snowboarding on ski hills up north near Ironwood. You definitely will not see this mama on skis, let alone a snowboard!
Where gets the most snow in the lower 48?
We have established the obvious: the Upper Peninsula of Michigan gets far more snow than the Lower Peninsula, and, naturally, I can safely assume that Alaska gets the most snow in the United States. But what we want to know now is which state gets the most snow in the lower 48?
An article in USA Today reports that, “Western mountains produce world-record snowfalls
For huge snowfall totals in mainly uninhabited locations, head West:
‘Some of the heaviest seasonal snowfall totals in the United States and the world have been recorded in the western mountains of the (lower 48 states),” according to a paper in the journal National Weather Digest. ‘Especially noteworthy are amounts which have fallen in the Cascade Mountains of the state of Washington, where annual averages exceed 600 inches (50 feet) on windward slopes.’
The world record for single season snowfall (95 feet) was set on Mount Baker in the Cascades during the winter of 1998-99,”.
Another record-breaking snowfall I remember was in 1998–99, when Southeast Michigan got absolutely buried under snow. Even though that big storm dumped more than twenty‑seven inches in just two days, our total for the season came in around forty‑nine inches. Impressive, sure, but it doesn’t even come close to the staggering 1,140 inches (95 feet) mentioned above!
Average snowfall Michigan
In conclusion, Michigan’s snowfall reminds us how wildly winters can vary, shaping our memories, our routines, and the stories we continue to share year after year.