Frederic / Gaylord Area Trail Report – Sledheads of Frederic – 01/15
FREDERIC / GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Sledheads of Frederic – 01/15 Its up to 1:45 p.m. on MLK day and for the first time in years there are alot of riders out and about. I remember almost 35 years when Marian that owned the swamp told me that MLK day is like a busy new years weekend. Well that hasnt happened in a long time but its been a steady flow of sleds and people thru here today. Still reports of both good and bad trails along with off trail of spots of 3 to 4 feet deep. For once all the riders with the 2.5 inch paddles get to try them out on some real snow. Weather forcast is calling for Lake effect for the next 5 days. I finally got the snow cleared down at my storage lot and that was alot of plowing. Yesterday was also very steady and busy. A big thanks for all that stopped in to see me. Many first timers along with many regulars. I have watched whole families grow up here thru the years. Little kids that are grown now bringing in there kids. I took several pics over at the swsamp lastt night just before dark as there sure were alot of sleds there. Saw the joker from windsor out and about last night along with the Bobsy twins with there matching hats on. Thanks for checking in and lets hope the snow keeps coming. Please remember to ride safely. Pete <> <> Visit Sledheads of Frederic on Facebook >>>> <> 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 Gaylord Michigan >> Morning clouds will clear from north to south later today as a front drops through the region, bringing partly to mostly sunny skies this afternoon. Our next round of precip chances returns tonight into Friday morning with a mix of rain and snow. Light freezing rain will be possible overnight across the eastern U.P. and far northern lower, but any glaze of ice should melt Friday morning as temperatures rise above freezing. Additional rain/snow chances move in late Saturday and Sunday. #miweather #gaylord #cadillac #benzie #traversecity #petoskeyMorning clouds will clear from north to south later today as a front drops through the region, bringing partly to mostly sunny skies this afternoon. Our next round of precip chances returns tonight into Friday morning with a mix of rain and snow. Light freezing rain will be possible overnight across the eastern U.P. and far northern lower, but any glaze of ice should melt Friday morning as temperatures rise above freezing. Additional rain/snow chances move in late Saturday and Sunday. FREDERIC - GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Sledheads of Frederic , Michigan Snowmobiling >> #gaylord #snowphotos 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. FREDERIC - GAYLORD AREA UPDATE via Sledheads of Frederic , Michigan Snowmobiling >> Its 19 and rock hard out there. Even harder than yesterday, it was down to about 6 overnight and the moist snow that there was yesterday is even harder today. Still waiting on a loader to come and plow out my storage area. They say they cant make it till wednesday. I have never seen this type of snow event before. Still businesses closed today. I did have 3 sleds ride in this morning an they said its a bit tough. There were really alot of sleds out and about yesterday but I have only seen the 3 this morning and its now 11 a.m. ON the bright side I did see the grayling groomer come thru Frederic and thats good but it has to even be tough on the groomers trying to knock that ice down. Supposed to get warmer in the next couple days. This is a tough one. The swamp got open about noon thirty yesterday and they had a steady stream of people over there all day. Wish I had better things to say. Thanks for checking in. Pete #gaylord #snowphotos frederic-mi.com <> Latest Trail Reports – Quick Links <>Postings From Regional Pages On Facebook
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.