GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As West Michiganders started to finalize their Christmas 2022 plans, Mother Nature had other ideas for the holiday weekend.
West Michigan hadn't seen a storm like this for at least a decade and its potential looked like it could surpass the legendary Blizzard of '78, a storm that has become a benchmark for winter snowstorms.
On Monday, Dec. 19, 13 ON YOUR SIDE meteorologists started to track a massive winter storm that was set to blanket the state in white. Right from the beginning, they knew that this was going to be a big snow event for much of Michigan with the possibility of huge amounts of snow on the west side of the state.
At first, the amount of snow being projected by the weather models seemed unlikely, but as the storm approached it became clear this was going to be something big.
A blizzard warning was issued for nearly a dozen counties in West Michigan on Wednesday, Dec. 21. This would be Kent County's first blizzard warning in over a decade.
As West Michiganders scrambled to finish their holiday shopping or hit the road for Christmas vacation, the storm's first snowflakes began to fall.
High winds and heavy snow began late in the afternoon on Thursday, Dec. 22 and it wouldn't truly let up until four days later.
Watch a complete recap of one of West Michigan's biggest winter storms in recorded history.
Chief Meteorologist George Lessens and Meteorologists Michael Behrens, Samantha Jacques and Blake Hansen share their experiences with the Christmas Blizzard of 2022.
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