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Southwest Lower Michigan Weather History
The Weather History for the Month of January
- 1/1/1876
- The year begins during a three day spell of record warmth. Lansing hits 65 degrees, after setting a record of 70 degrees the day before.
- 1/1/1964
- Arctic air sets record lows across Lower Michigan on this New Years Day. The temperature falls to 15 below zero at Grand Rapids and Muskegon hits 9 below.
- 1/1/1985
- A severe ice storm struck southern Lower Michigan as a layer of ice up to one inch thick downed tree limbs and power lines. There were three deaths and eight injuries directly related to the ice storm. Over 430,000 electrical customers were without power, some for as long as 10 days. Total damage was estimated at nearly $50 million.
- 1/2/1876
- Record highs are set for the third day in a row at Lansing and Detroit as the temperature reaches 62 degrees at both locations.
- 1/2/1999
- A powerful winter storm gets underway with heavy snow and high winds shutting down travel for the next several days.
- 1/3/1897
- Warm and wet weather prevails as a cold front approaches. High temperatures in the 50s are followed by heavy rain. This is the wettest January day on record at Muskegon, with nearly 5 inches of rain.
- 1/3/1918
- The temperature falls to a record low of 16 below zero at Muskegon during one of the coldest months on record in Lower Michigan.
- 1/4/1981
- Arctic air is firmly entrenched across Lower Michigan with extremely cold temperatures prevailing for the first half of the month. Eight of the first twelve days of the month fall below zero at Lansing. This is the coldest morning with a low of 29 below zero. This is the all-time low for the month of January at Lansing and the coldest temperature of the 20th century there. The temperature falls to 20 below zero at Grand Rapids and 15 below at Mount Pleasant.
- 1/4/1999
- West Michigan is digging out from 1 to 2 feet of snow, with drifts of several feet as the Blizzard of 1999 slowly winds down. Lake effect snow will continue the next several days, however.
- 1/5/1912
- Arctic air dominates Lower Michigan during the coldest January on record. Muskegon plunges to 12 below zero for a record low for the date.
- 1/5/1946
- Record highs are set for a second day in a row across Lower Michigan as temperatures reach the mid and upper 50s.
- 1/5/1998
- Moist southerly flow brings warm and wet weather to Lower Michigan. Highs in the 50s follow morning lows in the 40s as several days of thawing weather are observed during the first week of January.
- 1/6/1999
- Heavy snow piles up on top of the snow dropped during the blizzard a few days earlier. Another 9 inches of snow at Muskegon brings the snow total on the ground to 30 inches, with snow drifts several feet high. This will be the snowiest January on record at Grand Rapids with 46.8 inches of snow and Lansing with 34.6 inches.
- 1/7/1942
- Record cold high temperatures occur as arctic high pressure prevails. The high temperature is only 4 degrees at Grand Rapids and 6 at Muskegon. At Lansing, the thermometer struggles to reach the zero mark during the day, with a frigid northwest wind making it feel even colder
- 1/7/1988
- An arctic blast brings several days of sub zero cold to Lower Michigan, including record lows this morning of 15 below zero at Grand Rapids and 11 below at Muskegon.
- 1/8/1880
- Temperatures remain above freezing for the fifth consecutive day during the warmest January on record at Lansing.
- 1/8/1965
- Temperatures soar to record highs of 59 degrees at Grand Rapids and Lansing and 55 degrees at Muskegon. A cold front moves through and temperatures will only reach the 20s the next day.
- 1/9/1930
- A snowstorm drops from 4 to 8 inches of snow across southwest Lower Michigan.
- 1/9/1977
- Record cold prevails during one of the most severe winters in Michigan history. Records include the 17 below zero at Lansing, 14 below at Grand Rapids and 8 below at Muskegon.
- 1/10/1982
- Extreme arctic outbreak brings record cold temperatures and massive lake effect snow totals. Muskegon has their snowiest calendar day on record with 22 inches. This contributes to the all-time record monthly snowfall of 102.4 inches (8 and a half feet!) at Muskegon for January 1982.
- 1/11/1890
- Temperatures reach a record high of 63 degrees at Lansing during one of the warmest Januarys on record.
- 1/11/1979
- Arctic air and a deep snow cover combine to drop the temperature to a record low of 21 below zero at Grand Rapids.
- 1/12/1912
- Muskegon sets their all-time record low for the month of January at 21 degrees below zero during their coldest month on record.
- 1/12/1918
- Record cold is experienced at Lansing with 18 degrees below zero and Grand Rapids at 14 below during one of the coldest winters on record.
- 1/12/2005
- On January 12, 2005, dense fog blanketed lower Michigan. Numerous highway accidents near Lansing killed two people and damaged almost 200 vehicles. At least 37 people were injured. One pileup involved 50 vehicles and necessitated the closure of 12 miles of Interstate 96 between Okemos and Webberville.
- 1/13/1912
- Record lows of 17 below zero at Lansing and 14 below zero at Grand Rapids contribute to January 1912 becoming the coldest January on record at both sites.
- 1/13/1952
- Dense fog with visibility near zero leads to a number of auto accidents across southwest Lower Michigan. The fog persists for three days from the 12th to the 14th.
- 1/13/1979
- A massive storm dumps heavy snow across southern Lower Michigan. Temperatures in the teens and strong winds lead to heavy drifting of the powdery snow, causing travel to come to a halt. The snow, at times falling at more than an inch an hour, caused power outages due to broken tree limbs. Snow accumulations were up to 3 feet, causing some roofs to collapse. South Haven had 21 inches of new snow added to 24 inches already on the ground. Grand Rapids saw 13.5 inches of snow and 2 to 4 foot drifts with wind gusts between 25 and 35 miles an hour.
- 1/14/1893
- A long siege of arctic cold drops the temperature below zero for 15 out of the first 19 days of January at Lansing. This is the coldest day of the month with a low of 16 below zero.
- 1/14/1932
- Grand Rapids is in the midst of a stretch of six days with temperatures above freezing during the warmest January on record.
- 1/14/2005
- Two days of heavy rain and high temperatures in the 50s is followed by a stretch of arctic cold, causing massive ice jams to form on the Grand River. The ice jams result in devastating flooding of Robinson Township in Ottawa County. Flooding also occurs on stretches of the Muskegon, Thornapple, Flat and Kalamazoo rivers.
- 1/15/1972
- Muskegon falls to 12 below zero to set a record low. The temperature only rises to 4 below zero on this day, the coldest high temperature on record for the month of January at Muskegon. It is also the coldest high temperature for January at Grand Rapids, where the maximum is three below zero.
- 1/15/1984
- Lansing plunges to 25 below zero and Grand Rapids falls to 14 below during a stretch of arctic cold. Temperatures are below zero for eight straight days at Lansing between the 14th and the 21st.
- 1/16/1949
- Temperatures reach record highs in the mid to upper 50s for the second consecutive day across southwest Lower Michigan.
- 1/16/1972
- The arctic air holds on for one more morning of record lows as Grand Rapids falls to 16 below zero and Muskegon tumbles to 11 below.
- 1/17/1952
- Temperatures rise to record highs of 61 degrees at Battle Creek, 59 degrees at Lansing and 56 at Grand Rapids.
- 1/17/1982
- For the second time in a week, extremely cold arctic air drops temperatures to record low levels. The low of 9 below zero at Muskegon is followed by an afternoon high of 7 above. It is even colder away from Lake Michigan where high temperatures remain below zero during the day. Lansing has a high of 1 below and Battle Creek maxes out at 3 below.
- 1/18/1857
- Extreme cold weather prevails across the eastern United States. In Lower Michigan, a temperature of 28 degrees below zero was reported in Grand Rapids.
- 1/18/1976
- Arctic air and deep snow results in record cold across interior Lower Michigan. The temperature plunges to 25 below zero at Lansing and 20 below at Jackson. Along Lake Michigan, clouds and an onshore flow keep lows from falling below zero. The low of 10 above at Muskegon is 35 degrees warmer than the low at Lansing.
- 1/18/1996
- A blizzard moving through the Dakotas pulls warm air up over Michigan. Record highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s are followed by a line of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms. At least one weak tornado is spawned by the squall line, which is quickly followed by a blast of arctic air and rain changing to snow. Rapids snowmelt and heavy rains, followed by a quick freeze, leads to many areas of ice jam flooding.
- 1/19/1907
- Southerly winds bring moist and mild weather with highs in the 50s followed by heavy rains as a cold front moves through. Grand Rapids sets a record high for the date of 56 degrees along with a record rainfall total of 1.84 inches.
- 1/19/1979
- A homeowner was killed when his garage roof collapsed due to the weight of the snow on it. Several other homeowners suffered injuries as roofs collapsed throughout southwest Michigan. There were more than 50 reported roof collapses by the end of February, with most of the collapses occurring in the second half of January. At one point the snow pack was measured as weighing more than 25 pounds per square foot.
- 1/19/1994
- Temperatures remain below zero all day long. Extreme cold prevails from the 14th to the 21st but this is the coldest day. Grand Rapids ties the all-time record low for the month of January with 22 below zero, followed by a high of only 2 below zero. An unofficial low of 53 below zero is recorded in the Upper Peninsula at Amasa, Michigan. Water and sewer pipes freeze, causing 50 million dollars in damage across Michigan
- 1/20/1906
- Temperatures soar into the 60s after a warm front moves through. Grand Rapids hits 64 degrees and Lansing rises to 62, the first of three days of record highs at Lansing.
- 1/20/1985
- A vast stream of arctic air keeps high temperatures from rising much, with highs of zero degrees at Lansing and one above at Grand Rapids, along with a bitter west wind gusting to 25 mph.
- 1/21/1984
- The temperature hits a record low of 15 below zero at Grand Rapids for the second consecutive day. The temperature at Lansing only manages to reach zero degrees during the day.
- 1/22/1883
- Bitter cold arctic air sends the temperature down to 14 below zero at Lansing and 8 below at Detroit. The high for the day at Lansing is 4 below zero, the coldest high temperature ever in the month of January there.
- 1/22/2005
- A blizzard drops a foot of snow across southern Lower Michigan with strong winds creating drifts up to 4 feet deep.
- 1/23/1909
- Lower Michigan is in the midst of a three day stretch of warm weather. Lansing hits a record high of 60 degrees. Grand Rapids reaches 56 degrees, also a record.
- 1/23/1948
- Record lows on this date include 19 below zero at Grand Rapids and 13 below at Muskegon as arctic high pressure and deep snow cover have Lower Michigan in the deep freeze.
- 1/24/1967
- A huge storm is gathering over the Plains States. Out ahead of it, strong southerly breezes bring record warmth to Lower Michigan. Lansing soars to 66 degrees, the warmest on record for the month of January.
- 1/25/1950
- Muskegon sets the record high for the month of January at 63 degrees. Grand Rapids also ties their monthly record high of 66 degrees.
- 1/25/1967
- Temperatures reach the 60s for the second day in a row across Lower Michigan. However, the spring-like weather is about to give way to one of the greatest snowstorms on record.
- 1/26/1967
- Temperatures in the 20s are some 40 degrees colder than the day before, and heavy snow begins falling, piling up a foot or more along with increasing winds.
- 1/26/1978
- A storm known as the Cleveland Superbomb moves north from the Gulf of Mexico and deepens explosively, becoming one of the worst blizzards in Midwest history. From one to two feet of snow falls across southern Lower Michigan, whipped into huge drifts by strong gusty winds. Several new records were set including a new record low sea level barometric pressure of 28.68 , observed at 6:00 AM. At least 9 deaths were attributed to the blizzard, most roads were impassable, roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow and the airport in Grand Rapids was closed from late on the 25th until the 27th. Governor Milliken declared a state of emergency and requested additional federal aid for snow removal.
- 1/27/1967
- Chicago's greatest snowstorm on record also extends into Lower Michigan, where Battle Creek records 28.6 inches of snow. The storm total at Lansing is 23 inches and 18 inches at Grand Rapids.
- 1/27/1994
- A snow and ice storm brings travel to a halt across Lower Michigan. Freezing rain causes widespread power outages and results in 5 million dollars damage.
- 1/28/1977
- Buffalo, New York is hit with the worst blizzard in its history. Meanwhile, lake effect snow squalls also pummel areas in western Lower Michigan with more than a foot of fresh snow being piled into huge drifts by strong winds.
- 1/29/1909
- A snowstorm dumps from 6 to 10 inches of snow across southern Lower Michigan.
- 1/29/1966
- A week long cold snap reaches its nadir as temperatures fall to record lows of 16 below zero at Grand Rapids and 12 below at Muskegon.
- 1/30/1951
- A huge arctic high pressure center moves south from Canada all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and brings snow to Florida. Temperatures fall to record lows in Lower Michigan. Grand Rapids sets their all-time record January low of 22 degrees below zero. Baldwin, Michigan plunges to 37 below zero.
- 1/31/1914
- A snowstorm drops from 6 to 14 inches of snow across southern Lower Michigan.
- 1/31/1977
- One of the coldest months on record comes to a close with yet more arctic air and lake effect snow. High temperatures are only in the teens during the last week of the month with 2 to 4 feet of snow piled up along the Lake Michigan snow belts.
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