December 7th Lake Effect Snow

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1150 AM EST FRI DEC 8 2006

...MODERATE TO HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY...

A COLD FRONT CROSSED THE REGION EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AND PRODUCED
A LIGHT DUSTING OF SNOWFALL ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. AS COLDER AIR
MOVED ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN...BANDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY LAKE EFFECT
SNOW SHOWERS AND SQUALLS FORMED SOUTHEAST OF LAKE MICHIGAN. AS IS
TYPICALLY THE CASE WITH LAKE EFFECT SNOW...AMOUNTS VARIED WIDELY AND
THE HEAVIEST TOTALS WERE ONLY FOUND IN VERY LOCALIZED AREAS.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE MOST RECENT STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM
LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA.


LOCATION             COUNTY        SNOWFALL
                                   /INCHES/

...SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN...

MARCELLUS            CASS            11.3
CASSOPOLIS           CASS             7.4
UNION                CASS             6.0
WHITE PIGEON         ST JOSEPH        5.5
STURGIS              ST JOSEPH        5.5
BRONSON              BRANCH           2.7
LITCHFIELD           HILLSDALE        2.7
NILES                BERRIEN          2.1

...NORTHERN INDIANA...

LIGONIER 1 N         NOBLE            6.0
MIDDLEBURY           ELKHART          5.8
BENTON               ELKHART          5.8
ELKHART              ELKHART          5.0
GOSHEN               ELKHART          5.0
MIDDLEBURY 3 N       ELKHART          4.8
KIMMEL               NOBLE            4.5
CROMWELL             NOBLE            4.0
NORTH WEBSTER NWS    KOSCIUSKO        3.6
MILLERSBURG 3 NNE    ELKHART          3.6
FISH LAKE            LAPORTE          3.5
LAPORTE              LAPORTE          3.5
GOSHEN 2 S           ELKHART          3.5
ROLLING PRAIRIE      LAPORTE          3.1
LIGONIER 6 E         NOBLE            3.0
COLUMBIA CITY        WHITLEY          3.0
FORT WAYNE 5 WSW     ALLEN            2.7
KNOX                 STARKE           2.6
GRANGER              ST JOSEPH        2.5
WALKERTON 3 SSE      MARSHALL         2.5
MICHIGAN CITY        LAPORTE          2.0
ANGOLA 6 W           STEUBEN          2.0
ST JOE               DEKALB           2.0
PLYMOUTH 1 SSE       MARSHALL         2.0
ABOITE               ALLEN            2.0
SOUTH BEND AIRPORT   ST JOSEPH        1.9
AVILLA               NOBLE            1.8
OSSIAN               WELLS            1.7
KENDALLVILLE         NOBLE            1.4
FORT WAYNE AIRPORT   ALLEN            1.4
FORT WAYNE 4 NE      ALLEN            1.2
WARSAW 1 NNE         KOSCIUSKO        1.0
HUNTINGTON           HUNTINGTON       1.0
WAKARUSA             ELKHART          0.8
NORTH JUDSON         STARKE           0.8
METZ                 STEUBEN          0.8
AUBURN               DEKALB           0.6
WARSAW               KOSCIUSKO        0.6
BERNE                ADAMS            0.5
AKRON                FULTON           0.5
ALDINE 2 S           STARKE           0.3
LOGANSPORT           CASS             0.3


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA THANKS OUR
VOLUNTEER SNOW SPOTTERS FOR THEIR REPORTS. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO
REPORT YOUR SNOWFALL THROUGHOUT THE WINTER AND SPRING SEASON.

 A significant Lake Effect Snow event began late on the evening of Wednesday December 6th and concluded during the evening hours of Thursday December 7th. Significant accumulations of 6 to almost 12 inches of snow fell across the north central portion of the County Warning and Forecast Area (CWFA) of the NWS Northern Indiana office. The heaviest snow fell in a narrow swath from northern Cass county in Michigan to central Noble county in northeast Indiana. General 4 to 6 inch amounts were common in this area, with the highest amounts in far northern Cass county Michigan. Marcellus Michigan in extreme northeast Cass county reported 11.3 inches of snowfall. Just to the north of Cass county in Van Buren county (NWS Grand Rapids CWFA), over 20 inches of snow fell!