December 7th 2000 Snowstorm

Snowfall on December 7th, 2000

A weather system known as a Canadian Clipper moved across Southwest Lower Michigan, Northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana on Thursday December 7th. Prior to the arrival of this system, several weaker systems had moved through generating light snow and flurries, except near Lake Michigan where lake effect snow bands developed.

Snow was already falling near Lake Michigan as the Canadian Clipper approached on the morning of December 7th. Snowfall amounts from the previous clipper ranged from a trace to 3 inches, except near Lake Michigan where a few reports of 6 inches were received from Niles and Eau Clair in Berrien county. Snowfall began to increase across northwest Indiana and southwest lower Michigan after sunrise on the 7th. Low pressure at the surface was still well to our west, across central Iowa, but a warm front stretched from the low into central Illinois and central Indiana.

As the low pressure moved east during the day, the warm front lifted north across Indiana and Ohio. Snow increased in intensity ahead of the warm front.. By mid-day, moderate snow was falling across most of Indiana and southern Michigan. By late afternoon, the snow was beginning to diminish in the far northwest part of Indiana, but was just beginning to increase in northwest Ohio.

By sunset on the 7th, the surface low was weakening and was near the Indiana/Illinois state line. Meanwhile, the warm front had pushed north to near the Indiana and Michigan state line. Snow continued to fall over north central Indiana and northwest Ohio ahead of the low. The snow finally decreased to flurries behind the low during the evening hours, but did not end completely until well after midnight in northwest Ohio.

Cold air behind this clipper helped to generate some light lake effect snow showers and flurries through mid-day on Friday the 8th. Below is a snowfall map with 24 hour snowfall amounts from 700 am Thursday December 7th, to 700 am Friday December 8th.

24 hour snowfall amounts from 700 am Thursday December 7th, to 700 am Friday December 8th.

snowfall map

This story written by Sam Lashley