Five Monster Snow Storms That Hit Michigan In The Past 109 Years

Michigan sure gets its fair share of snow but here are five storms from the past 109 years that people still talk about to this day.

Michigan ranks number six on the list of states that receive the most snow in a season. On average Michigan gets just under 190 inches of snowfall per year. Now that's a lot of snow!

Michigan may get some serious snow but be thankful you don't live in Alaska where they once got 78 inches in one day.

Here are some Michigan storms that you may remember or have heard about from the past 109 years:

1. 1978

This is a storm that I remember well. I lived by the high school and their parking lot is where snow would be piled from area plows. The snow piles were so high we could sled down them.

The storm is known as the "Blizzard of '78" and it was just that. This was a two-day storm that had it all -  winds between 50 and 70 mph, windchill down to 30 below, and some areas received 30 inches of snow.

The storm was so powerful that some homes were almost completely buried with drifting snow and many Michigan roads were shut down. Nearly 20 people died from heart attacks trying to push vehicles that were stuck or by trying to shovel the massive amount of snow.

2. 1913 

The storm of 1913 has often been referred to as the "White Hurricane." This was one of the most deadly storms on record since 250 people were killed. What made this storm so brutal was its hurricane-force winds. There were wind gusts recorded up to 90 mph and winds across that state between 60 and 70 mph. Waves on the Great Lakes were as high as 35 feet tall. Two feet of snow fell and drifts were as deep as four feet. It was the winds that caused the most damage from this winter monster.

3. 1967

This was a weird storm because Mother Nature played a trick on Michiganders in late January of 1967 by providing unseasonably warm weather. All across the state temperatures were between 50 and 60 degrees. Then the winter monster reared its ugly head and dumped several feet of snow over a 48 hour period.

This storm is known as the "Blizzard of 1967." This storm provided fierce dumpings of snow that was fell faster than plows could remove it. There was a historic traffic jam that went from happened somewhere between Grand Rapids and Jackson that witnesses said was 8 miles long. The storm was so brutal that it shut the state down for two whole days.

4. 1999

This is another storm that I remember well. I lived on the east side of the state at the time and all though where I lived in Oakland County got hit with snow, it was nothing like the stories I was seeing on the news about West Michigan who got hammered by this beast of a snowstorm.

Over two feet of snow pummeled the Lake Michigan shoreline. Many schools and businesses had to shut their doors for days. In 1999 the snow removal service had much better equipment and was able to handle the snow much better and most major roads cleared just 24 hours after the two-day blizzard.

5. 1923

What makes this next storm so unique is when it happened, May 8, 1923. I have seen a few flurries early in May turkey hunting but never a full-blown snowstorm.

The storm didn't have the typical snowfall like these bigger storms listed above but this storm was like a sucker punch because no one saw it coming.

The temperature fell from 62 to 34 in a matter of hours. An inch of snow fell that night but the next day areas around Flint and Lansing got a foot of snow and it took days before the temperatures got out of the '30s.

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Hopefully, we never have to add to this list but my guess is Mother Nature will have future surprises for Michiganders in the future.