The March 2025 Ice Storm, A Retrospective

One year later, we look back on the historic ice storm that devastated northern Michigan

For countless residents, the northern Michigan ice storm of 2025 was an experience unlike any other. Families huddled under blankets in dark houses. Many could not leave their homes due to blocked driveways and roads. Thousands went without power, some for over two weeks.

One year later, and shortly after another powerful winter storm, Michiganders reflect on the experience, what we learned, and how we can prepare for the future.

The Science Behind the Storm

The storm’s meteorological aspects alone were stunning. We checked in with the National Weather Service (NWS) station in Gaylord, which happened to be one of the areas hardest hit. What made this storm different?

“The most unique aspect of the 2025 storm was how long it lasted,” says Pat Bak, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Gaylord. “Typically, northern Michigan will see 6-12 total hours of freezing rain spread out over the entire winter. In this storm, we had three days of freezing rain.”

According to Bak, it’s rare for a Michigan ice storm to last more than a few hours before shifting air conditions turn freezing rain into rain or snow. Bak, who himself lost power for eight days, said he could count on one hand the number of comparable storms that have taken place in northern Michigan over the last century.

“From March 28 through March 30, we witnessed several rounds of precipitation that occurred while a number of meteorological factors aligned to create the perfect conditions for prolonging freezing rain,” Bak says.

Reaching for a report published by his office, Bak reads aloud, “A well defined warm nose (a layer of warmer air) about 1,500 feet above the surface set the stage for any precipitation to be melting as it fell through that layer to the surface. Meanwhile, a very narrow layer of subfreezing air existed right above the ground, which meant that elevated surfaces, especially taller objects such as trees, power lines, and communication antennas would be subject to icing.”

Storm Damage and Repair

So what do you get when meteorological conditions conducive to freezing rain hold on for almost three days, rather than the typical hour or two? You get ice accumulation, and a lot of it, coating just about everything.

According to Bak’s report, ice coated trees, power lines, and other objects to the tune of 0.25-0.50 inches of ice buildup in much of the northern Lower Peninsula and a small section of the eastern Upper Peninsula. Some areas of Emmet and Cheboygan counties received 0.75 inches of ice buildup. Parts of Antrim, Otsego, and Montmorency counties recorded a staggering 1 inch or more.

Ice is heavy, and when that much ice builds up on objects, they break. One report by Great Lakes Energy indicated over 3,100 power poles were damaged, with at least 800 snapping and requiring complete replacement rather than a quick repair. Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op said they had to repair 2,800 damaged power poles, 3,800 miles of power lines, and 900 transformers.

Over 145,000 residents lost power at the height of the storm, and thousands were without power for up to 18 days. And because Michigan was not awarded all of the federal disaster aid it requested from the Trump Administration (more on that later), the cost of utility repairs and grid replacement has fallen on residents.

On top of damaged or destroyed power infrastructure, millions of trees fell in the ice storm, blocking residents’ driveways, preventing travel on roads, damaging structures, and obstructing emergency response and cleanup efforts.

Volunteer Trail Cleanup

The storm hit hard, but the people hit back harder. We checked in with the Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC) and heard from three staff members that the community response to the storm was nothing short of extraordinary.

LTC manages nearly 50 nature preserves and 38 working forest reserves totaling thousands of acres in Chippewa, Mackinac, Emmet, Cheboygan, and Charlevoix counties. Volunteer Coordinator Cacia Lesh, who was without power for two days, says one reason the storm so heavily impacted power lines crossing northern Michigan’s forests was that much of the region’s forests are former red pine plantations designed for logging, i.e., trees intentionally planted close together.

“That’s good for business, perhaps, but devastating for the forest and nearby power lines should an ice storm come along,” Lesh says.

Lesh tells us that all of LTC’s 120 miles of trails are now passable, but there are still threats in the form of “widowmaker” branches hung up in the canopy, and that trail enthusiasts must exercise caution.

“Since the storm, we’ve had five to eight full-time trail staff plus over 100 volunteers—an 87 percent surge in volunteers—out there working on our nature preserves,” Lesh says. “We recorded about 950 volunteer hours and 35 first-time volunteers in 2025.”

Lesh says the work continues because, as the heavy, wet snow of February and March 2026 melts, it’s helping to bring down some of the broken limbs that had been hung up since March 2025. “We have frequent volunteer days scheduled throughout the month,” Lesh says. “Folks can get involved at landtrust.org/volunteer.”

Debris and Replanting

We also spoke with LTC’s Derek Shiels, Director of Stewardship. Shiels told us he lost six of the seven trees on his property and had to remediate a flooded basement, a reminder that no one escaped the storm unscathed.

In addition to clearing trails, LTC also used a few of its properties as drop-off sites for tree debris, collecting 7,500 cubic yards of debris at just one site. Per Shiels, “One of the central problems crews faced during the ice storm was this issue of, ‘Well, now we’ve collected all this storm debris, what do we do with it?’ So we opened four of our sites for drop-off, then we hired a forestry mulcher to process the debris over the summer and fall.”

Shiels also mentions LTC was able to salvage much of the downed trees in their forest reserves, and the team identified and tubed 200 new red oak seedlings to help diversify some of the red pine-dominant forest stands.

LTC’s Director of Community Outreach Anne Fleming adds that volunteers did so much more than reopen nature preserves, noting how they cleared downed branches and other mobility hazards from yards and driveways so elderly residents could safely access their vehicles and leave in case of an emergency or to find a warm place. Speaking of warm places, Fleming calls attention to how communities worked together to set up warming centers in schools and churches while others were out cleaning up.

“We also got help from local businesses.” Fleming says. “Home Depot gave us $2,500 for chainsaws and other equipment. Meijer Ace Hardware donated a wood chipper rental that we got to use for free for weeks. These businesses could have been charging a premium, yet they supported our work and made it so our volunteers and staff could help the community.”

Local Funding for Recovery

Just as volunteering was essential during the storm recovery, so too was funding.

“We were able to launch a crowdfund campaign, pulling on the attention and heartstrings from the whole of the northwest Michigan region,” says Daniel Marbury, program coordinator for Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting a thriving culture and community centered around farms.

Marbury explains that “We opened up a campaign that over 77 individual donors contributed to, in addition to three community foundations, including the Petoskey & Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, Charlevoix County Community Foundation, and Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan. We were able to distribute $30,000 to 11 farms impacted by this storm.”

The example set by Crosshatch was just one of many on display in the days, weeks, and months following the storm. The Otsego Community Foundation opened grant opportunities ranging from $500 to $5,000 for public-serving organizations. The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation created an Emergency Response Fund to support storm-related relief and to assist eligible nonprofit organizations and government entities in responding to future emergencies.

An Update on Federal Aid

As helpful as it is, state-level and nonprofit disaster response capabilities have always been limited. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through executive order to centralize emergency management, disaster response, and civil defense functions. When the ice storm hit, Governor Gretchen Whitmer appealed to FEMA for assistance.

“In July 2025, President Trump declared a federal emergency in 13 counties across the state following the historic northern Michigan ice storm,” explains Clayton Cummins, Public Information Officer at Michigan’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division.

“The federal declaration allowed FEMA to provide Public Assistance (PA) funding to state, tribal, territorial, local governments, and utilities, as well as certain private nonprofit (PNP) organizations to support response and recovery efforts such as emergency protective measures, debris removal, repairing infrastructure like roads, bridges, public buildings, and equipment,” Cummins continues.

However, FEMA denied assistance for the following categories, all of which are essential to long-term recovery: PA Category F, which would fund permanent repairs to damaged utilities; Individual Assistance (IA), which helps residents with housing and disaster-related losses; and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which funds long-term projects to reduce future risks.

We asked Cummins whether there had been any updates on PA Category F in particular, because thousands of Michigan residents are currently footing the bill for millions of dollars in repairs to damaged utilities.

“In August 2025, Governor Whitmer appealed FEMA’s decision,” Cummins tells us. “In October 2025, FEMA officials reaffirmed the denial of Public Assistance Category F funding and Individual Assistance. The appeal of denial for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is still under review.”

Great Lakes Energy, which serves about 125,000 members in 26 counties, issued a statement saying its utility repairs will likely exceed $155 million and that any portion not paid for by state or federal funds will be paid by members.

Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G), which serves about 40,000 members, reported securing a $100 million loan for utility repairs, though PIE&G envisions needing $150 million in total. PIE&G said on its website that it must pay $8.5 million in debt service (interest) per year, a cost currently being borne by members.

On March 10, 2026, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump in the White House and secured a commitment from the president to reverse FEMA’s decision denying Michiganders aid with recovery efforts. On March 13, Whitmer released a press release noting that FEMA “has amended the major disaster declaration for Michigan’s 2025 historic ice storm to include Public Assistance (PA) Category F funding, allowing affected eligible public utilities in 13 northern Michigan counties to receive federal support for permanent repairs.”

Looking to the Next Storm

What have we learned in the event such a storm strikes again?

“It’s difficult to prepare for a storm of that magnitude,” says meteorologist Bak, so it all comes down to keeping resources on hand.

That looks different for everyone, but Bak says maintaining access to food, water, and shelter is key. Bak recommends keeping a stockpile of fresh supplies, including nonperishable food, an alternative heat source, fresh potable water, and, ideally, a generator or alternative power supply. Blankets, flashlights, warm clothes, first-aid kits, and battery-powered radios and satellite phones are essential during a severe storm.

“Beyond keeping supplies on hand, you need an emergency preparedness plan,” Bak adds. He notes how when power lines are down in roadways and residents are trapped in their homes, something that would normally be a mild inconvenience, like running out of medication, can suddenly become life-threatening.

“We’ll issue warnings about what kind of weather is headed your way, but you have to receive that warning,” Bak says. “Watching for weather warnings should be a part of your preparedness plan, so check the forecast regularly. Be sure your plan enables you to keep yourself and your family safe at home for several days at a time. Try to cover as many of your own bases as you can, but spare a few extra thoughts for how you can also help your neighbors.”

“No man is an island,” Bak says in closing. “We only recover from devastating events like these when we look out for each other.”

Photo credit: Harold Dippman

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