Sault Ste. Marie Trail Report – 02/15
SAULT STE. MARIE UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association – 02/15 So my plan was to walk over to trail 8 after work to check it out but it is snowing and blowing pretty good right now so I’ll be honest- I don’t feel like it. It is cold!🥶 Not much to report trail wise right now but here’s what happened with the “big rain” here- We got a little bit overnight for sure. Not much at all today, mainly just mist. At about 3:30, it started raining somewhat heavily and then quickly switched over to all snow at about 3:40. Winds started really picking up and blew the snow in from the west. The temp went from 37 to 28 with a real feel of 10. We have light snow now which appears to be Lake Effect. With the drastic drop in temps, trails *may* start to ice up. We are under a flash freeze warning currently. As I have been saying, the Lake Effect is the wild card. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not it’ll pile up. Hoping by this time tomorrow I’ll have snowfall to report.❄️❄️❄️ <> Good morning all, It definitely rained overnight. Hard to say how much in all areas. I went to bed around 11 and it hadn’t started yet in the Soo. I woke up at 6 and it was done. Radar shows another round of rain that will just miss us, staying west. I have no idea what the trails look like since we are not grooming. I will take a drive after work to the spots where the trails cross the roads to see what I can see. Any brave souls out riding, please let us know what you see. Snow gauge reads 20”, down from 22” yesterday. Snow forecast is still up in the air. AccuWeather still shows 3-6”, John Dee shows 1-4”, others say 1” or so. Only time will tell. I’ll share as much as I know as things move along. <> <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Facebook Page <> Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association Trail Report on MSA <> WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Gaylord Michigan >> A quick-moving clipper system crosses northern MI tonight. Primarily rain is expected across much of northern lower, with mainly snow through the Straits and eastern U.P. Snow will likely end as a period of freezing drizzle early Friday morning with a coating of ice possible, mainly in eastern upper. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskey #soo #newberryA quick-moving clipper system crosses northern MI tonight. Primarily rain is expected across much of northern lower, with mainly snow through the Straits and eastern U.P. Snow will likely end as a period of freezing drizzle early Friday morning with a coating of ice possible, mainly in eastern upper. WEATHER UPDATE via US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan >> Key Messages: SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 3/17/26 SAULT STE. MARIE AREA UPDATE via Sault Ste. Marie Snowmobile Association >> 3/17/26 WEATHER UPDATE via Michigan Storm Chasers >> Final snowfall totals have been released from our blizzard of March 15th-17th, 2026 here in Michigan. Do note, some locations are approximated due to data gaps in the Upper Peninsula..... #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyFinal snowfall totals have been released from our blizzard of March 15th-17th, 2026 here in Michigan. Do note, some locations are approximated due to data gaps in the Upper Peninsula. <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>
I just spoke with the groomer boss and we are still on pause as we wait to see what we’ll be working with.
I cannot decide for you if your trip is worth it or not. All I can do is keep updating on what we’re seeing. Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
Today, highs near 40, partly to mostly cloudy.
Tonight, rain with some snow (mostly north and east, as shown in the map) and freezing rain mixing in. Lows near 30.
Friday, mostly cloudy, highs in the mid 30s (north, east) to near 50 (MI/WI state line).
Weekend, tracking the potential for accumulating snow or freezing rain. Chances of 3+ inches of wet snow around 30% mainly Saturday night. #miweather #keweenaw #westernup #marquette #munising #seney #newberry #soo #straitsareaKey Messages:
Today, highs near 40, partly to mostly cloudy.
Tonight, rain with some snow (mostly north and east, as shown in the map) and freezing rain mixing in. Lows near 30.
Friday, mostly cloudy, highs in the mid 30s (north, east) to near 50 (MI/WI state line).
Weekend, tracking the potential for accumulating snow or freezing rain. Chances of 3+ inches of wet snow around 30% mainly Saturday night.
Last one for the day!
Bryan hit the city trails this evening and they turned out great! The wet areas he saw a week ago are nonexistent now.
He saw quite a bit of sled traffic for a Tuesday.
Great to see people out enjoying the fresh snow and beautiful day!
Thank you, Bryan!!❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0317h #snowphotos
Sorry for all of the posts today! As you can see, we’ve been busy!
Pics from Kenny on his run with Raco Dave this morning on the 889 loop, 480 north of M28, and 8 along the powerline.
They report that it turned out great!
Thanks guys!❄️❄️❄️ #soo #soo0317f #snowphotos
No doubt the forecast lived up to its insanity, with many locations getting over 40" of snow across the central Upper Peninsula, and 8-10 foot snow drifts to make things even more extreme. In terms of forecast verification, our forecast did hit the 80%+ accuracy threshold we strive for after each event. Our final verification was 83%, and most of the the misses were where the system shifted slightly south to give parts of the northern Lower Peninsula greater than 24", and parts of the western Upper Peninsula much less. Anything over 18" of snow is just "a lot" at this point anyways, so we aren't stressing too badly about the miss in the Lower Peninsula near the Mackinac Bridge. Lake effect zones in SW Michigan did verify, as text was featured under the forecast that a couple spots would see locally higher amounts.
Overall, this will be a storm we won't soon forget, which adds to the list of wild weather we've experienced in Michigan over the last two weeks. If you have any additional snowfall reports to add to the list that are not affected by drifting, drop them in the comments below here on X or Facebook. A new two-day record was also broken at the NWS office in Marquette of 36"+ with this blizzard, which is just one record smashed by this blizzard.