A Year Later, Michigan’s Ice Storm Damage Still Hard to Grasp

A year after Michigan’s worst ice storm, it is still hard to truly measure the amount of damage and the cost of recovery. Nearly a year later, Northern Michigan is still trying to figure that out.

60 Hours of Ice That Changed Everything

The ice storm that hit March 28 through the 31st in 2025 lasted about 60 hours, dumping up to an inch of ice in some areas. That may not sound like much, until you realize just a quarter inch is enough to start snapping trees and power lines. This storm multiplied branch weight up to 100 times.

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MLive reports that Kerry Heckman with the Michigan DNR says it somehow feels like yesterday and a century ago at the same time, and she would know. After 15 years responding to disasters, she calls this one the worst she has ever seen.

Millions of Acres Impacted Across Northern Michigan

Nearly 3 million acres were impacted. About a quarter of Michigan’s state forest system took a hit, with more than 900,000 acres affected. Thousands of miles of roads were blocked, and hundreds were completely impassable.

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At its peak, close to 200,000 people lost power. Some did not get it back for more than two weeks. Utilities replaced thousands of poles and repaired thousands of miles of lines, with damage costs climbing into the hundreds of millions.

Michigan Parks, Trails, and Forests Hit Hard

Then there is everything else. State parks, campgrounds, and trails all shut down just weeks before camping season. Tens of thousands of acres of forest were heavily damaged, and millions in timber value were lost.

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More than 700 people worked the response. Tens of thousands of cleanup hours were logged.