White Lake Twp. – As area shovelers can attest, last weekend’s snowfall approached record levels.
There have only been three occurrences of advisory-status snowfalls’those with snow accumulations of more than 3 inches’later than April 17, says David Shuler, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in White Lake, Mich.
According to NWS spotter reports, snowfall measured 11.3 inches in Ortonville, and 1 foot in Goodrich.
‘Farther south they saw a lot of snowfall, but didn’t get the accumulations because it melted,? said Shuler.
Lapeer County residents perhaps saw the effects more than others in the area, while farther north, Huron County residents experienced blizzard conditions with drifts measuring 3 to 4 feet.
The warm April weather affected measurements, as the early snow melted.
While unusual Michigan snowfalls have been recorded from May 9 to 31 since the 1800s, the greatest amount of snow in the Detroit area fell April 6, 1886, when 24.5 inches was recorded.
‘We probably would have had close to that total, had we been able to keep all the snow that fell,? Shuler said.

Top, a fire engine exists Brandon Station No.1 during Sunday’s snowstorm. Right, Henry Lozer shovels snow at the Masonic Temple in downtown Ortonville. Photos by Bob Flath.