Power Outage in Detroit, MI

Numerous trees blown over and snapped across the area. Over 17,000 DTE customers lost power, focused mainly northeast of Westland and just north of Dearborn Heights.

Redford Twp had several trees knocked down along with numerous power lines.

The City of Westland had several downed trees and power lines along with three structure fires (houses) from power issues.

Thunderstorm winds damaged power equipment.

Trees and power lines reported down.

An EF1 tornado began just to the west of W Jefferson Ave and south of Gibraltar Road. The tornado remained at EF1 strength up to the Navarre Street and Young Drive area, before weakening to EF0 strength for the remainder of the path. The tornado then crossed the Detroit River before dissipating at the north end of Elba Island in Grosse Ile Township. Damage included multiple large limbs and trees downed, a roof partially blown off and power lines downed.

An EF1 tornado began just to the west of W Jefferson Ave and south of Gibraltar Road. The tornado remained at EF1 strength up to the Navarre Street and Young Drive area, before weakening to EF0 strength for the remainder of the path. The tornado then crossed the Detroit River before dissipating at the north end of Elba Island in Grosse Ile Township. Damage included multiple large limbs and trees downed, a roof partially blown off and power lines downed.

Downed power pole.

Multiple power lines and 8.5 inch diameter tree reported down.

Large tree limbs and power lines reported down.

Power lines reported down.

Downed power lines.

At least one powerline reported down.

Trees and power lines reported down.

Four inch diameter tree limbs reported down, along with powerlines.

Large tree limbs and powerlines down.

Several large tree limbs reported down on power lines.

Trees and power lines were reported down. Belleville High School was affected by the power outages and was closed for 2 days.

Law enforcement reported numerous trees and power lines down throughout the city.

The local television stations reported trees and power lines down in northwest Detroit.

By 0300 EST on the 15th, spotters were reporting up to 1/4 inch of ice on vegetative and elevated surfaces across the county. Numerous tree branches were downed across the area due to the extra weight of the ice. Approximately 20,000 customers lost power. Total property damages were roughly estimated at $300K.

Wind gusts measured over 50 MPH were blamed for knocking out power to 31,000 customers in Wayne County. At 1300 EST, official observing equipment at the Detroit Metro Airport measured sustained winds of 40 MPH and a peak wind gust at 53 MPH. Total property damages were roughly estimated at $20K for the county.

Lightning was blamed for a blackout which left most of the City of Gibraltar and parts of Brownstown Township and the City of Flat Rock without power.

Power lines and tree blown down.

Power lines blown down.

Power lines blown down.

A line of severe thunderstorms tracked across Lower Michigan during the afternoon and evening of June 25, 2023, producing areas of wind damage. The greatest cluster of wind damage occurred across the Detroit Metro area and into St. Clair county. Storm damage was consistent with 50 to 65 mph straight-line wind gusts for most areas. Parts of Romulus, Dearborn, and Hazel Park were reported to have localized stronger downburst wind gusts. Close to 80,000 customers lost power across the state as a result of the damage.

A significant winter storm impacted southeast Michigan on the afternoon and evening of Friday, March 3, 2023. A compact but very strong low pressure system tracked up the Ohio Valley, bringing strong lift and abundant moisture to the region. Despite air temperatures hovering near or slightly above freezing in many areas, the heavy snowfall rates allowed for rapid accumulations during rush hour and into the evening. Snowfall rates became so intense (2-3 inches per hour in some locations) that numerous bouts of thundersnow were observed in the evening. The heavy, wet snow exhibited snow to liquid ratios below 10:1 and piled up quickly on trees and power lines that were already stressed from recent winter storms on February 22nd and February 27th. This, combined with gusty winds, resulted in over 200,000 customers losing power across the area. ||Widespread snow totals of 8 to 11 inches occurred along a corridor from Jackson to Howell and Ann Arbor, the northern Metro Detroit suburbs, Lapeer, and parts of St. Clair and Sanilac Counties. A sharp snowfall gradient occurred to the north over the Tri-Cities and Thumb which saw totals generally ranging from 1 to 5 inches. To the south, milder air allowed for some rain to mix in at times across Monroe, southern Wayne, and parts of Lenawee Counties which reduced snowfall totals in those locations.||Here are some of the higher snowfall reports received:|Highland 10.5 inches.|Lapeer 10 inches. |Howell 10 inches.|Goodrich 9.4 inches.|Ann Arber 9.0 inches.|Memphis 8.7 inches.|Romulus 6.2 inches.

A major winter storm impacted Southeast Michigan during the daytime and evening hours of February 22, 2023. Warm/moist air originating in the Gulf of Mexico surged north toward a surface warm front, increasing coverage and intensity of precipitation over lower Michigan by mid-morning. This warmer air aloft interacted with a resident cold airmass near the surface, creating conditions favorable for snow to the north and a wintry mix for much of the metro Detroit region. The higher snow accumulations occurred across areas well north of I-69, with Midland, Bay, Tuscola, and Huron counties reporting 5 to 9 inches. Communities along and south of I-69 saw a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain which resulted in widespread ice accumulations of a quarter to half inch. Parts of Washtenaw even exceeded half an inch of ice accumulation. The impacts from icing were widespread, with DTE reporting nearly 3,000 downed wires and over 500,000 customers without power. Similarly, numerous reports of downed tree limbs were reported making some roads impassable. For many metro Detroit communities, an ice storm with this widespread of a footprint had not been observed since April 2003.

Strong low pressure tracking through Lake Superior sent a strong cold front through southeast Michigan, leading to wind gusts of 45 to 65 MPH. The strongest winds occurred with enhancement from convective showers. Scattered power outages and tree limbs were reported down, but DTE power outages peaked under 50,000 customers.|Here are some of the higher wind gusts reported:|66 mph measured gust at Lenawee County Airport at Adrian.|63 mph measured gust at Saginaw International Airport.|61 mph measured gust at Detroit Metro Airport.|60 mph measured gust at Custer Airport at Monroe.|59 mph measured gust at Bad Axe Airport.

A squall line raced across southern lower Michigan during the afternoon and evening of August 29, 2022, leaving widespread wind damage in its path. This line of storms developed ahead of a cold front and tracked into the region from the Chicago area, expanding in coverage and intensity as they encountered a warm, muggy, and unstable atmosphere over Southeast Michigan. Gusts of 60 to 75 mph were responsible for damage to trees, power lines, and property and left over 375,000 customers without power. Several gustnados were reported along the leading edge of the strong gust front in Cambridge Twp, Highland Twp, Putnam/Hamburg Twp, Richmond, and Fort Gratiot, producing localized corridors of enhanced damage.

An organized line of thunderstorms brought widespread strong to severe thunderstorms across southeast Michigan. Thunderstorms initially became organized across the Tri-Cities and northern Thumb during the early afternoon and brought widely scattered wind gusts between 50-60 mph, which resulted in numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines. Severe thunderstorms continued to expand southward during the late afternoon, while new storms developed just ahead of the initial line, along an expanding outflow boundary. Given the moderate to strong instability in place, thunderstorms continued to produce widely scattered damaging wind gusts as they approached the northern Metro region. A Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV) eventually caught up with the line in the evening hours which continued the threat of severe weather across the Detroit Metro region. Over 100,000 homes and businesses were without power after the thunderstorms moved through.

A cold front tracking through southeast Michigan during the afternoon hours of July 20, 2022 led to widespread thunderstorm development and severe weather reports across the area. The main threat with these storms was damaging winds, as the line of storms moved through between 1-4 PM. Several reports of trees and powerlines down as well as a 66 mph wind gust at Detroit Metro Airport were recorded. A second round of storms developed between 4-6 PM as the cold front cleared the area, primarily impacting the extreme eastern portions of the CWA near the Lake Huron shoreline.

Deep late afternoon mixing behind a strong cold front allowed westerly wind gusts around 60 mph across half the counties of Southeast Michigan, with the rest of the counties still seeing 45 to 55 mph gusts. No leaves on the trees helped limit power outages and tree damage.

A strong low pressure system and attendant cold front tracked across the central Great Lakes on December 11th. Widespread 50-60 mph gusts were observed, with isolated higher gusts up to 64 mph (measured at both Harbor Beach and Detroit Metro Airport). |Trees, tree limbs, and power lines were reported down across Southeast Michigan, with at least 150,000 electric customers without power at the peak of the wind event.

An early fall deepening low pressure system tracking along a frontal boundary delivered strong winds and heavy rain to southeast Michigan. Most areas saw rainfall totals of 2 to 5 inches, with locally 6 inches. Fortunately, just minor river flooding and flooding in low lying areas was reported, with the exception of Wayne county where localized flooding in Hamtramck stranded cars. More impactful, was the high winds along the shorelines of southern Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay, as north-northeast winds gusting between 40-60 mph were noted across Bay, St. Clair, Sanilac, and Huron Counties. Although downed trees and power lines were reported in Bangor Township in Bay County, the saturated ground likely contributed to trees falling with wind speeds under 55 mph. The persistent northeast winds over Saginaw Bay also caused elevated water levels and high waves which lead to lakeshore flooding and erosion along the shoreline, but no major structural damage was reported.

Two rounds of thunderstorms impacted Southeastern Michigan on August 11: the first during the afternoon and the second during the late evening into the following morning. The first round produced widespread severe wind gusts across the area between 3 and 5pm as a well-organized line swept eastward across the state. This line knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of customers as widespread tree and power line damage occurred. A wind gust of 75 mph was measured in Mt. Clemens. A lull in activity followed for much of the evening before the next round of storms tracked eastward across the region after 10pm. Severe reports were more isolated with this round, but abundant moisture moved in and led to repeated rounds of training thunderstorms that resulted in prolonged heavy rain and flooding overnight. Flash flooding occurred over Livingston and Macomb Counties where some areas saw 3 to 5 inches of rain. Additional severe storms occurred the early morning of the 12th along and south of the I-94 corridor before storms finally moved out. According to DTE and Consumers Energy outage reports, nearly 850,000 customers across the state lost power due to the storms.

An active severe weather season for Southeast Michigan continued on July 24, 2021 with another round of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Thunderstorms initially developed mid-afternoon just south of Cadillac and tracked southeastward into the Tri-Cities and Metro Detroit regions through the evening. Storms began as a broken line and strengthened quickly as they moved into a region of favorable dynamics and ample instability. Embedded rotation within this line produced three confirmed tornadoes in White Lake, Armada, and Clayton Township. An additional tornado spun up over Port Austin. Numerous reports of straight-line wind damage, namely power outages and tree damage, were also observed with many of these reports coming from western Oakland County. As the line of storms tracked south of I-94, the tornado threat diminished; although bowing segments embedded within the line continued to produce damaging wind gusts. In addition to wind damage, most areas observed 1-2 inches (with locally higher amounts) of rainfall which led to flash flooding in some low-lying and flood-prone areas. At least 140,000 DTE customers lost power at the height of the storms. Between the tornadoes and wind damage, Oakland county was estimated sustaining close to 10 million dolllars in damage, with around 4.5 million across Macomb county.

Scattered thunderstorms initially developed over Saginaw Bay and tracked through the Thumb region, becoming locally strong to severe before becoming a line of strong to severe thunderstorms as they tracked through the northern Detroit metro and I-69 corridor during the evening hours. These thunderstorms formed along and ahead of a cold front, with moist and and relatively unstable air out ahead of the front. The thunderstorms produced reports of wind damage along with reports of power outages.

Severe thunderstorms, mainly south of the M-59 corridor (and especially south of I-94) began during the evening hours of June 20, 2021 and extending into the early morning hours of June 21, 2021. Numerous reports of wind damage were received, with multiple trees down in the hardest hit areas of Lenawee, Monroe, Wayne, and portions of Oakland counties. The damaging winds of 60+ mph, resulted in at least 60,000 customers losing power across portions of southeast Michigan. The severe thunderstorms occurred south of a stationary boundary draped near the I-94 corridor, with a moist and unstable boundary to the south of it across far southern Lower Michigan into the northern Ohio Valley.||In addition to the numerous wind reports, the first tornado of 2021 occurred in Riga Township, located in far southeast Lenawee county. This was the first tornado in southeast Michigan since September 2019 in Sanilac county. The Riga tornado was rated EF-1 with estimated peak winds of 90 mph and a path length just shy of 3 miles. The tornado was the first in Lenawee county since an EF-1 tornado that occurred northwest of Adrian back on June 6, 2010.

Strong low pressure tracking through the northern Great Lakes produced a long duration of strong winds to southeast Michigan late in the morning of the 15th through the afternoon and into the evening. Wind gusts of 40-60 mph were common, with even isolated reports of 65 mph winds enhanced from thunderstorms and heavy showers. Over 200,000 customers lost power from downed tree limbs and wires.

Several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms occurred across much of southeast Michigan through the morning and afternoon hours of July 19, 2020. These thunderstorms occurred in a very warm, moist, and unstable airmass ahead of a passing cold front. These thunderstorms produced widespread reports of wind damage across the region, along with numerous rainfall reports well over an inch in several locations. News reports indicated that as many as 100,000 people lost power across southeast Michigan from the severe weather.

Numerous severe thunderstorms occurred across southeast Michigan on June 10 as a strong upper level wave swept over the Great Lakes while an unstable low-level air mass was in place. This warm and moist environment was brought into place by the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal which tracked through the western Great Lakes the evening before. Wind damage was widespread across the area with hundreds of thousands of customers losing power due to downed trees and wires.

Strong low pressure tracked through the Great Lakes region producing 1 to 2.5 inches of rainfall across southeast Michigan. As this system exited northeast, strong southwest to west-southwest winds followed during the daytime hours of Sunday, with gusts of 40 to 60 mph observed. Detroit Metro even had a higher wind gust of 62 mph reported around 230 PM in the afternoon. More than 15,000 DTE customers lost power across Metro Detroit. In addition, the strong southwest winds caused the water levels to backup over the St. Clair River, leading to some flooding as the water level at Algonac peaked at 65.1 inches above LWD just before 5 PM. Some additional flooding and erosion also occurred downwind of Lake St. Clair over parts of southern St. Clair county.

Two severe thunderstorms producing wind damage developed ahead of a strong cold front. Winds behind the cold front were also very strong, reaching 55-60 mph south of eight Mile Road. Ann Arbor, Detroit Metro, and city airport of Detroit all reported a peak wind gust of 58 mph, while Adrian and Ypsilanti airports reported 55 mph and 56 mph. Despite these stronger winds, tree damage and power outages were limited.

Numerous strong to severe numerous thunderstorms developed in the late afternoon hours, mainly along and south of the M-59 corridor. The main hazard was wind damage, with downed trees and power-lines. However, there was a few occurrences of hail around 1 inch in diameter reported in Livingston and Washtenaw counties.

A low pressure system quickly intensified over the weekend of February 23-24th, as it crossed the Great Lakes region. This system brought blizzard warnings to western portions of the Great Lakes to high winds across the rest of the region. A well-mixed boundary layer led to high winds over the region, with gusts around 60 mph range. Widespread downed tree limbs with sporadic structural damage reported. One such report was roof damage at Adrian College. Downed power lines led to close to 200,000 customers without power across southeast Michigan, with some of outages lasting into Monday. Here are some of the higher wind gusts reported:|Saginaw... 61 mph|Detroit... 61 mph|Pontiac... 56 mph|Flint... 55 mph|Ann Arbor... 55 mph|Adrian... 55 mph|Lapeer... 53 mph.

A strong low pressure system tracked through northern Lower Michigan, swinging a strong cold front through southeast Michigan early in the afternoon. Sustained winds ranging between 30 - 40 mph, with frequent gusts in the 45 to 60 mph range, with scattered thunderstorms that developed leading to enhanced winds near 70 MPH. Downed large trees, branches, telephone and power lines were reported across all counties in Southeast Michigan, with around 230,000 customers without power during the peak. In Independence Township, a large tree fell onto a car, killing the 36 year old man inside. Additionally, a postal employee in South Lyon was also seriously hurt when a tree fell on him as well. A semi was also blown over in the strong winds on US 23, blocking all southbound lanes.

A large and complex low pressure system impacted the Great Lakes region. Southeast Michigan saw heavy rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain that began on Friday (April 13) and lasted through Sunday (April 15). This system brought 2 main periods of precipitation, with a short break in between on Saturday. Total rainfall of 1 to 2 inches was common in many locations in Southeast Michigan, with 2-3 of snow and sleet north of I-69, and about 1/4 to 1/2 of ice from freezing rain between the I-94 and I-96 corridors. Widespread tree damage and power outages from an combination of the snow, sleet, and freezing rain occurred. In total, DTE and Consumers Energy reported power outages for nearly 500,000 customers due to the event. Additionally, strong and persistent northeast winds lead to lake shore flooding around Saginaw Bay and on the Lake Erie shoreline. Wind gusts at or above 50 MPH where reported in Bay county on the 14th.

A strengthening low pressure system moved up across the Ohio valley, bringing an area of heavy, wet snow to the Detroit Metro Area. The onset of precipitation was rain before it quickly changed over to all snow by the early afternoon. Snowfall rates reached 1-2 per hour. Snowfall totals in the Detroit Metro Area reached 4 to 8 inches, with the highest snowfall totals coincided with higher elevation across Oakland and Livingston counties. The heavy wet snowfall brought down numerous branches and wires across the Detroit Metro Area leaving over 100,000 homes and businesses without power. Here are a few of the higher snowfall reports received:||White Lake (NWS) 8.4 inches. |Brighton 8.0 inches.|Ann Arbor 7.9 inches.|Shelby Township 5.1 inches. |Romulus (DTW) 5.0 inches.

Warm, moist tropical air during the day on Thursday helped to spark severe storms that began to develop during the late afternoon hours. These storms continued through the evening before the severe threat switched over to a flooding threat during the overnight hours. Heavy rain continued to fall across much of the area throughout the overnight as a cold front pushed eastward. Numerous trees and power lines were reported down south of M-59 while northwest/northern areas dealt with significant flooding. Over 6 inches of rain fell across the Tri-Cities region. June monthly rainfall total at Saginaw ended up being 10.76 inches, the most on record for June.

A non thunderstorm event took place over the state on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as high winds brought wind gusts in excess of 60 mph! The high winds took out power lines and trees, along with numerous reports of structural damage to buildings. There were also reports of brush fires and tractor-trailers flipped over around the area. Due to the extensive damage, many areas were without power for several days. Approximately 800,000 DTE customers and approximately 300,000 Consumers Energy customers were affected. The highest wind gust reported across Southeast Michigan was 68 mph at both Saginaw and Detroit Metro Airport.

Strong southwest winds of 50 to 60 mph brought down trees...tree limbs...and power lines...mainly along the M-59 corridor and I-94 corridors of Southeast Michigan. DTE reported 117,000 customers were affected during the peak early Friday evening, with 75,000 customers remaining without power into Saturday the next day. |Here are some of the higher wind gusts reported at airports across the area on Friday February 19th:|Ypsilanti... 58 mph at 1022 PM.|Detroit Metro... 55 mph at 744 PM.|Owosso... 55 mph at 835 PM.|Saginaw (MBS)... 54 mph at 536 PM.|Pontiac... 54 mph at 742 PM.|Ann Arbor... 54 mph at 719 PM.|Flint Bishop... 53 mph at 634 PM.|Howell... 53 mph at 734 PM.|Detroit City... 52 mph at 541 PM.

Temperatures soaring into the lower 90s across much of Southeast Michigan set the stage for severe storms as a strong cold front dropped south into southern Lower Michigan. First round of storms developed near Saginaw Bay during the early afternoon hours. A second round of storms arrived during the evening hours, spawning an EF1 tornado in Owendale in western Huron County. The solid line of storms then tracked south through all of southeast Michigan, exiting the State shortly after midnight. Sporadic wind damage occurred, leaving over 60,000 DTE customers without power. Rainfall totals exceeded 2 inches in isolated spots. There was also golf ball size hail reported near Saginaw.

High winds occurred across Southeast Michigan during the afternoon of November 24. These winds occurred as a powerful and deepening low pressure system moved from near the Straits of Mackinac to Quebec, dragging a strong cold front through Lower Michigan. Peak winds gusted between 55-65 mph over Metro Detroit and points south, with 45-58 mph gusts occurring to the north. Numerous downed trees and power lines were reported, which lead to power outages reaching close to 200,000 at the peak of the wind event.

Multiple rounds of severe storms rolled across Southern Michigan on Friday, September 5, bringing damaging winds and numerous reports of damage. Winds up to 74 mph were reported as the storms raced east ahead of a cold front. The environment was primed for severe weather with temperatures reaching into the upper 80s and lower 90s, along with dewpoints reaching up into the 70s. Nearly 400,000 homes and businesses in Southeast Michigan lost power due to the severe thunderstorms.

Storms rolled across parts of southeast Michigan during the afternoon on Tuesday, August 26, 2014. The atmosphere was primed for storms as temperatures climbed into the upper 80s to around 90 degrees and dew points reached into the lower 70s. A cold front approaching the area created the necessary lift needed for storm development. Storms quickly raced east across southern, Lower Michigan bringing numerous reports of downed trees and power lines south of the I-69 corridor. An estimated 150,000 customers lost power.

A powerful upper-level low pressure system dropped southward into the Great Lakes on Sunday July 27, sparking a good deal of severe thunderstorms in the warm, moist, and unstable air in advance of the system. Between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., severe weather affected nearly all of southeast Michigan. The initial storm that affected portions of Midland and Bay counties from around 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. was a prolific hail producer, with hail up to 3 diameter (greater than baseball size) recorded near Midland. Later, another particularly strong storm moved across Oakland County between around 4:30 and 5:15 pm, dropping hail up to 2.50 diameter (tennis ball size) near the Highland/White Lake area, with wind damage reported over central and eastern portions of the county. The storms produced heavy rainfall as well, with a swath of 1-2 recorded over southern Oakland County. Wyandotte, in southern Wayne County, picked up 2.67 in 4 hours. Total damage across Southeast Michigan was estimated to be 100 million dollars from the severe wind and hail.

The last day of June and into the first day of July, saw a line of severe storms form out over the plains that quickly raced east across Iowa, Southern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Northern Indiana, and into Southern Lower Michigan. Southeast Michigan saw damaging winds move through between 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on the morning of July 1st. Southwestern Oakland, southeastern Livingston, and parts of Washtenaw counties saw the most extensive damage as numerous trees and power lines were taken down. The highest wind gust was reported in Wixom at 74 mph. These storms were classified as a derecho by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

Severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front on the afternoon of May 13, 2014. Storms raced east across most of Southeast Lower Michigan, causing a broad area of damage. Several trees and power lines were downed, along with reports of wind gust measurements ranging from 50 to 60 mph.

A strong low level jet within the warm sector allowed southwest winds to gust between 55 and 61 mph across much of Metro Detroit during the morning hours. Numerous trees, fences, car ports, and power lines were reported blown down.

A powerful low pressure system strengthened and tracked northeast from the western Great Lakes towards James Bay during the afternoon of November 17th through the overnight hours. Southerly winds out ahead of the cold front allowed temperatures to soar into the lower to middle 60s during the afternoon hours across southeast Michigan. A line of thunderstorms developed with the cold front that swept through the area during the evening hours. Several of these storms produced severe wind gusts and wind damage as they moved through the area. Behind the cold front, gradient winds gusted to 55 to 65 mph during the evening and overnight hours, producing additional damage across southeast Michigan. Widespread trees and power lines downed by the winds lead to over 400,000 homes and businesses to lose power.

A warm front lifted through Southeast Michigan, with strong winds within the warm sector leading to gusts up to 60 mph over Washtenaw and Wayne counties, causing a few downed trees and powerlines. A surface trough then initiated scattered severe thunderstorms which produced wind damage.

An intense Arctic Front swept through southeast Michigan around Midnight of January 19th, with westerly winds gusting around 60 mph across much of the area during the early morning hours of January 20th. Dozens of trees and power lines were downed across individual counties, leading to power outages in excess of 120,000 DTE customers during the peak of the winds.||Here are some of the higher wind gusts and times reported:||Caro...61 MPH...1214 AM. |Pontiac...60 MPH...301 AM. |Ypsilanti...60 MPH...140 AM. |Flint...59 MPH...247 AM. |Adrian ...55 MPH...128 AM. |Detroit Metro Airport...55 MPH...158 AM. |White Lake...54 MPH...150 AM. |Owosso...53 MPH...1255 AM. |Downtown Detroit (DET)...53 MPH...149 AM. |Monroe...52 MPH...312 AM. |Lapeer...52 MPH...233 AM.

A strong cold front moving through during the peak heating of the day produced wind gusts estimated near 60 mph south of I-69, leading to extensive power outages due to downed trees and power lines.

A strong low pressure system tracking just north of southern Lower Michigan produced estimated wind gusts approaching 60 mph south of I-69. Over 100,000 customers across southeast Michigan lost power, due to the downed tree branches and power lines.

A strong cold front pushed through southeast Michigan, with post frontal westerly wind gusts up around 45 mph. Tree limbs and power lines were brought down, which lead to 85,000 customers to be without electricity.

In the late afternoon and evening of September 3, 2011 several thunderstorms fired up ahead of a cold front that was draped across lower Michigan. Outflow boundaries from previous storms in the day provided the lift required to set these storms in motion. Many areas saw brief heavy downpours, but the areas hardest hit with strong winds and hail were along I-94 from Ann Arbor to downtown Detroit, and from Huntington Woods to Madison Heights. About 100,000 DTE customers lost power due to the storms.

A big winter storm impacted southeast Michigan, with 5 to 10 inches of snow falling across the majority of the area. Snow turned to ice near the Ohio border, where a major ice storm occured. Downed trees and powerlines occured over Lenawee and Monroe counties due to ice accumulations half an inch to one inch. Power outages lasted 4 to 5 days.

Low pressure tracked near the Michigan/Ohio border and then northeast into Ontario. Precipitation started as rain before changing to snow. Snowfall accumulations across southeast Michigan were generally in the 3 to 7 inch range before Arctic air ushered in. Additional Lake Effect accumulations occurred over the Thumb region, where storm totals reached 15 inches at Bad Axe. In addition, gusty winds of 25 to 40 mph occurred during Sunday afternoon which lead to scattered power outages. Wind gusts to 50 mph were even reported across the northern Thumb region. The snow and blowing snow lead to Blizzard conditions over Huron and Sanilac counties, which stranded at least two dozen cars.||Here are some of the higher snowfall reports:| |Bad Axe (Huron), 15 inches. |Yale (St. Clair), 9 inches.|White Lake (Oakland), 7.7 inches.|Marlette (Sanilac), 7 inches.|Clifford (Lapeer), 7 inches.|Midland (Midland), 7 inches. |Riverview (Wayne), 6.4 inches. |3 Northwest of Saginaw (Saginaw), 6.3 inches.|Howell (Livingston), 6.3 inches.

Winds gusted between 40 and 50 mph across southeast Michigan, with the strongest winds occuring over the Detroit Metro area. A few trees and tree branches were blown down, some of which fell onto power lines. Very low humidity levels, less than 25 percent, allowed the sparking wires to touch off fires across Wayne County. The wind swept fires destroyed 90 occupied homes and damaged 71 vacant homes and garages. No injuries were reported.

A strong low pressure system tracked through Northern Lower Michigan, dragging a cold front through southeast Michigan. Wind gusts to 60 mph occurred south of M-59, which lead to downed tree branches along with a few trees and power lines. About 40,000 customers lost power, most concentrated in Wayne County.

A strong low pressure system tracked north of the Great Lakes region, with the associated cold front swinging through lower Michigan. Winds gusted between 45 to 55 mph with isolated gusts to 58 mph over a six to eight hour time frame during the morning hours. With leaves still on the trees, tree branches and trees were reported down in and around the Detroit Metro Area. About 110,000 customers were without power from this wind event.

A weak low pressure system coupled with high instability triggered several severe thunderstorms along and south of I-69 during the afternoon hours of June 25th, into the early evening hours. Southern Macomb county was hardest hit, as the majority of the 80,000 DTE customers who lost power resided in Macomb county.

A strong cold front pushed into Southeast Michigan during the afternoon hours, producing several severe thunderstorms, generally confined to the M-59 Corridor, where tree damage and power outages was most prevelant. There was 80,000 homes and businesses which lost power in Oakland county.

A low pressure system tracking northeast through the Ohio River Valley produced a late season heavy snowfall across Southeast Michigan. Snowfall totals averaged 1 to 4 inches south of I-94, 4 to 8 inches between I-94 and I-69, and 1 to 4 inches north of I-69. Due to the heavy snow and winds to around 30 mph, tree branches came down which resulted in power outages focused along the M-59 corridor.|Here are some of the higher 12 hour snowfall totals reported:|Grand Blanc (Genesee) 6.3 inches. |Elba (Lapeer) 7.0 inches.|Cement City (Lenawee) 6.0 inches.|Howell (Livingston) 6.3 inches. |Shelby Twp (Macomb) 6.4 inches.|White Lake (Oakland) 7.8 inches. |Deckerville (Sanilac) 6.0 inches. |Yale (St. Clair) 6.0 inches.|Kingston (Tuscola) 6.0 inches.|Ann Arbor (Washtenaw) 6.0 inches.|Romulus (Wayne) 6.7 inches.

A rapidly deepening low pressure system tracked northeast from northern Lake Michigan, sending a strong cold front through southeast Michigan. Winds gusts of 50 to 65 mph behind the cold front lead to widespread tree branches and trees downed, along with extensive power outages, as more than 400,000 Michigan homes and businesses lost power. The majority of those customers who lost power were located in the Detroit Metro Area.

Heavy rain fell over southeast Michigan from September 12th-14th, with widespread 3 to 6 inches reported. Isolated amounts around 8 inches were even reported across northwest Genesee County. A slow moving cold front interacting with the remnants of two tropical systems, one being Lowell from the Pacific and the other being Ike from the Atlantic, led to the extreme rainfall totals. This heavy rain did cause some widespread flooding across much of southeast Michigan, but mostly minor flooding was reported, such as large pools of water on roads, road closures, along with some basement flooding. One of the most significant reported flooding occurred in Farmington Hills, were residents of the Manor of Farmington Hills had to be evacuated as water flowed through the patients rooms. A Clinton Township woman also had to be rescued as her car became submerged at Millar and Utica Roads. In addition to the heavy rain, the remnants of Ike did cause some strong winds which caused small tree limbs to fall and power outages to around 15,000 customers spread across Macomb, St. Clair, and Oakland counties.

A derecho swept through southeast Michigan on Sunday afternoon June 8th. This brought widespread wind damage and localized large hail to the region. Enhanced wind damage, due to winds as high as 85 mph, affected Shiaweesee, Livingston, Genesee, Oakland, Lapeer, Macomb and St. Clair counties. Thousands of trees were lost, with significant property damage occurring as trees fell on houses and cars. This is the most widespread damage to occur over southeast Michigan in over a decade, as over 300,000 residents lost power. Over 10,000 residents were without power for a week or more, indicative of the extent of damage, which was estimated to be 100 million dollars.

A cold front moved through southeast Michigan during the early evening hours of June 6th. With temperature climbing into the lower 90s during the afternoon, the airmass became quite unstable, leading to numerous severe thunderstorms which produced damaging winds. The strongest thunderstorm winds occurred at Howell and Saginaw, where winds reached at least 70 mph. As such, Saginaw saw the greatest amount of damage and power outages, with 12,000 residents losing electricity.

A strong cold front moved through southeast Michigan just before midnight, with strong post frontal wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph reported across much of area. The highest winds occurred across the Thumb region, extending south into the Detroit Metro area. A few buildings and houses sustained damage, mostly shingle and roof damage. |Trees and power lines were blown down, which led to power outages. Utility companies reported thousands of residents and businesses lost power due to downed power lines across the northern Thumb region, with close to 100,000 in the Lower Peninsula, with a majority of those outages occurring in southeast Michigan.

A deep low pressure system lifted northward across eastern Wisconsin and into the Upper Peninsula. This system sent a rather strong cold front through Southeast Lower Michigan on the morning of December 23rd. In fact, temperatures plummeted from 50 degrees at 0900 EST to near 30 degrees by 1200 EST, with wind chill readings in the teens. A line of showers developed along this front. Very strong winds were associated with these showers, sustained out of the southwest at 25 to 35 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph. Trees and tree limbs falling on power lines caused power outages over a large part of Southeast Lower Michigan, knocking out power to nearly 100,000 customers, with Wayne and Oakland Counties bearing the brunt of the power outage. Falling trees damaged multiple homes across the area. Total property damage (mostly minor) was estimated at $400K. There were no reported deaths or injuries with this event. Here are a few official wind gusts recorded across the region.|Detroit City Airport, 53 MPH.|Ypsilanti, 52 MPH.|Mt Clemens, 51 MPH.|Caro, 48 MPH.|Saginaw, 48 MPH.|Howell, 46 MPH.|Troy, 46 MPH.

Four tornadoes moved through portions of Southeast Michigan on August 24th, leading to an estimated $25M in total damages. One long-track tornado cut a path of EF0 to EF2 damage across Livingston, Geneseee, and Oakland Counties. Fenton was the hardest hit area, prompting the Governor of Michigan to declare a state of emergency there. Tornadoes also touched down in eastern Shiawassee County (rated as EF0), northwestern Washtenaw County (rated as EF0), and southwestern Lapeer County (rated as EF1). Thousands of trees were lost to the tornadoes. Although hundreds of homes and buildings were damaged, many destroyed, remarkably only one person was injured (minor cuts from flying glass) and there were no direct fatalities. One man died (indirect) of a heart attack during the cleanup process in Fenton.|In addition to the tornadoes, there were widespread reports of severe thunderstorm wind gusts producing downed trees, limbs, and power lines. The hardest hit areas with respect to severe thunderstorm winds included areas around Flint, Lapeer, St. Clair, Chelsea, Monroe, and many locations in Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Lenawee Counties.

A cold front stalled out over the area and combined with an upper level low pressure system to support the development of severe thunderstorms. This event was very quick with the storms moving from Howell to just south of Detroit at 40 to 50 MPH. The most intense storm produced significant wind damage from southern Livingston County into northeast Washtenaw County. A tornado warning was issued for Washtenaw County. A National Weather Service field survey identified damages consistent with intense straight-line winds associated with thunderstorm downbursts. The storms knocked out power to 60 thousand customers in Southeast Lower Michigan. Half of downtown Brighton lost power, forcing numerous businesses to close. Several homes suffered damages from falling trees. There were no reports of any serious damages.

Severe thunderstorms developed over the region during the late afternoon hours of July 5th. There were numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds. The most intense winds occurred along a path stretching from just south of Saginaw to just north of Pontiac. These intense thunderstorm winds, gusting as high as 70 MPH, brought down many large trees. Remarkably, only a few homes sustained minor damages. There were also reports of large hail, some the size of ping pong balls. Numerous trees were also blown down across Livingston County, especially around the Fowlerville area. By sunset, the atmosphere became less capable of supporting severe thunderstorms and the event was over. No injuries were reported. At least 50 thousand customers lost power.

Numerous waves of thunderstorms affected southeast Michigan during the afternoon and evening of June 27, 2007. Severe storms developed along and ahead of a cold front, which dropped south through a very warm and humid airmass. There were numerous reports of wind damage and hail. Saginaw County received two separate rounds of severe weather, producing hail to one-inch in diameter and a number of reports of trees and power poles blown down by winds. Flooding was also a concern, as some areas were repeatedly affected by complexes of storms. Northern Shiawassee County received the worst flooding, with National Weather Service radar estimating up to six inches of rainfall in just a few hours. A golfer in northwest Detroit was struck by lightning and killed after seeking refuge under a tree.

Scattered thunderstorms developed in advance of a strong cold front. A few of the storms became severe, having the biggest impact across Wayne County. Wind gusts as high as 65 MPH blew down several trees and power lines.

Strong winds funneled into southeastern Michigan when the area found itself located between two weather systems, a strong high pressure system to the west and a powerful Nor'easter to the east. Sustained winds of 25 to 35 MPH, with frequent gusts between 45 and 50 MPH, whipped through the area on Tuesday afternoon, April 16th. Tragically, the winds were to blame for a fatality at the Roosevelt Primary School in Ferndale. The winds snapped a 45 foot tall flagpole at the elementary school. The metal pole fell and struck a 5 year old kindergartner. The young girl died from her injuries. A trained weather spotter estimated wind gusts to 50 MPH in Troy (southern Oakland County). Numerous branches, power lines, and several trees were blown down by the winds. Up to 50,000 customers lost power. Total damages were roughly estimated at around $160K and primarily included damages to homes and electrical poles. Here are some of the highest wind gusts measured across the region: Grand Blanc (Genesee) 54 MPH, Harbor Beach (Huron) 50 MPH, Mt Clemens (Macomb) 48 MPH, Port Huron (St Clair) 47 MPH, Detroit City Airport (Wayne) 47 MPH, Pontiac (Oakland) 45 MPH.

The last winter storm of the 2006 - 2007 season, true to form, brought yet another batch of mixed precipitation to Southeast Michigan, and resulted in a high impact event across the Thumb region, where heavy freezing rain caused significant icing. A strong low pressure system, moving northeast out of Oklahoma, was to blame. Ahead of this system, a warm and moist airmass from the Gulf of Mexico was drawn north into Michigan atop a sub-freezing layer at the surface. The event started before sunrise on March 1st, when a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain fell along and south of the I69 corridor. By early afternoon, temperatures had climbed above freezing in these areas and precipitation changed over to all rain. Minor icing, up to two tenths of an inch on elevated surfaces, had only minimal impacts with only a few reports of a few small limbs down. Farther north, the precipitation started as all snow and accumulated up to 4 inches before changing over to freezing rain by late afternoon. Temperatures remained just below freezing throughout the evening, when several bands of very heavy precipitation led to significant icing across portions of Midland County, Bay County, and the Thumb. Areas hardest hit, with widespread ice accumulations around an inch, were across northern Tuscola County, northern Sanilac County, and throughout Huron County, especially in communities along the shoreline in the tip of the Thumb. Most of the damage occurred between 2200 EST on March 1st and 0100 EST on March 2nd, when strong winds gusted up to 50 MPH and brought down widespread trees and snapped power poles in half for miles. More than half of the Huron County population, more than 15,000, lost power. Some were without power for up to 6 days. Hundreds of Huron County residents sought refuge in emergency shelters set up by the Red Cross. Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported during the storm. Most traffic related injuries were minor, but about a half dozen people were critically injured and at least one death was blamed on the storm (indirect). A 40 year old man lost his life in a fatal car accident caused by icy roads and high winds in Lapeer County. The total monetary value attributed to this storm was estimated at around $1.5M, with nearly all of this in Huron County alone.

A strong and developing low pressure system lifted northeast out of the Plains and tracked across northwest Ohio and eventually into upstate New York. Cold arctic air, drawn from the north, clashed with warm moist air from the Gulf to create a favorable setup for all types of winter precipitation across Southeast Michigan. An ice storm ensued from I-69 south to I-94. Widespread ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch brought down numerous trees, power poles and power lines. Over 150,000 customers were without power at one time during the ice storm. Many were without power for 2 days, and some for over 3 days. Several senior homes lost power and 200 residents had to be evacuated from one of them. Most of the damage and associated power outages occurred between M59 and I94. Although roads were just warm enough to remain mainly wet, patchy slick spots and downed tree debris made traveling very hazardous. Along and just north of the I-69 corridor, a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow fell, where reports confirmed up to 5 inches of snow and one tenth of an inch of ice. Mostly all snow fell across the Tri-Cities and Thumb, where 4 to 6 inches of snow accumulated across portions of these areas. Although many schools were already closed to observe Martin Luther King Jr Day, nearly all of the other schools in Southeast Michigan closed on Monday due to the storm, with the exception of Monroe county schools, where precipitation fell as mostly rain. Over 50 Detroit metro area schools remained closed on Tuesday due to power outages. Numerous car accidents occurred across the affected areas. Several vehicles were destroyed by large trees that fell under the extra weight of the ice and there were at least two incidents of trees falling onto moving vehicles. Most injuries (all indirect) were minor. Total property damage was roughly estimated in excess of $2M. This included damage to vehicles, homes, businesses, and electrical poles and transformers. Downed power lines also sparked several garage fires. In addition, many businesses in the hardest hit areas reported losses due to the extended power outages.

This relatively minor ice event proved to be a precursor to the more significant icing that would take place the following morning. Around a tenth of an inch of ice was reported across the southern counties. A mixture of light freezing rain, sleet, and snow fell along the M59 corridor with up to a tenth of an inch of ice and minor sleet and snow accumulations. Elsewhere in Southeast Michigan, mainly light snow fell with a general 1 to 2 inches. No power outages or tree damages were reported. But with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, bridges and overpasses froze over and led to numerous car accidents. A portion of I75 was closed for several hours in both directions after a 20 car collision on the slippery Rouge River bridge. Several trauma injuries (indirect) were reported. No fatalities were reported.

Strong southwest winds with gusts to 53 MPH brought down tree limbs and power lines, taking out power to thousands, especially across the Detroit area. A strong low pressure system that tracked across southeast Michigan was to blame. Winds increased rapidly around 1200 EST with sustained winds at 25 to 35 MPH and higher gusts lasting for a period of several hours.

This 2006 heat wave delivered the hottest weather the region had experienced in at least 4 years. A 5 day stretch of maximum temperatures at or above 90 degrees began on Saturday, July 29th. A blanket of especially high heat and oppressive humidity settled over the area on Monday, July 31st, and remained relentless through Wednesday, August 2nd. Temperatures soared above 90 by noon with heat indices over 100 degrees. Heat indices averaged between 105 and 110 degrees through the entire afternoon. Most significantly, Detroit Metro tied the all time record for the warmest minimum temperature, for any date, when it failed to record a temperature below 80 degrees on July 31st. This had happened only 3 other times in the previous 136 years of record keeping, and this was the first time in 64 years that it had happened again. Detroit topped out at 97 and set a new high temperature record for August 1st, tying the old record set in 1988. Little relief was felt during the evening with temperatures not dropping below 90 until 1900 EST. The major power companies in the area reported an all-time record customer demand for power from 1500 to 1600 EDT on the 1st, breaking the record that was set just the day before. Remarkably, very few heat related illnesses occurred during the event. Newspaper articles revealed an extremely high level of awareness and preparedness from the communities across southeast lower Michigan. A large number of cooling centers were made available to those in need as folks reportedly heeded the warnings and took extra precaution. Although area hospitals reported some increase due to heat related illnesses, most were mild and due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. Six cases of heatstroke were confirmed in Washtenaw, Wayne, and Macomb Counties. No heat related deaths were reported.

This 2006 heat wave delivered the hottest weather the region had experienced in at least 4 years. A 5 day stretch of maximum temperatures at or above 90 degrees began on Saturday, July 29th. A blanket of especially high heat and oppressive humidity settled over the area on Monday, July 31st, and remained relentless through Wednesday, August 2nd. Temperatures, on the 31st, soared above 90 by noon with heat indices over 100 degrees. Heat indices averaged between 105 and 110 degrees through the entire afternoon. Detroit topped out at 96 and set a new high temperature record for July 31st, breaking the previous record of 95 set in 1955. Little relief was felt Monday evening with temperatures not dropping below 90 until 1900 EST. Most significantly, Detroit Metro tied the all time record for the warmest minimum temperature, for any date, when it failed to record a temperature below 80 degrees on July 31st. This had happened only 3 other times in the previous 136 years of record keeping, and this was the first time in 64 years that it had happened again. The major power companies in the area reported an all-time record customer demand for power from 1500 to 1600 EDT on the 31st. Remarkably, very few heat related illnesses occurred during the event. Newspaper articles revealed an extremely high level of awareness and preparedness from the communities across southeast lower Michigan. A large number of cooling centers were made available to those in need as folks reportedly heeded the warnings and took extra precaution. Although area hospitals reported some increase due to heat related illnesses, most were mild and due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. Four cases of heatstroke were confirmed in Wayne and Macomb Counties, 2 on the 30th and 2 on the 31st. No heat related deaths were reported.

This was the third powerful storm to hit the area in a week and a half, leading to yet another round of strong winds. An impressive warm front lifted north through Southeast Lower Michigan during the afternoon and evening of the 15th. Thunderstorms developed within the warm sector as the cold front approached from the west. Intense cloud to ground lightning was observed and one storm actually became severe in Monroe County, where a tree fell onto a road. The cold front pushed through during the evening, leading to another period of strong winds, occurring through the early morning hours. Southwest winds were sustained at 25 to 35 mph, gusting to around 50 mph, with the exception Huron County, where wind gusts estimated near 60 mph brought down trees along the lakeshore from Caseville to Grindstone City. Heavy rains also occurred across the region, and the combination of winds and rain led to property damage estimated at 7.2 million dollars. At 430 EST on the 16th, One man was killed (indirect) and another injured (indirect) in a vehicle collision caused by a tree that had fallen into the road (Grange Hall Road near Brandt Road in Groveland Township) due to the strong gusty winds.

A deep and rapidly intensifying November storm system moved North-NorthEast through Southeast Lower Michigan during the morning. High winds along the associated cold front knocked down trees leading to widespread power outages. Winds were sustained out of the southwest at 30 to 40 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph from mid to late morning, becoming more westerly during the early afternoon. The highest winds occurred between 1000 EST and 1400 EST, taking their toll on trees still laden with the season's dying leaves. Street signs were toppled, traffic lights were sent spinning, and power lines were split. Many streets and roads had to be temporarily closed until trees blocking the way could be cleared. Utility companies reported approximately 200,000 customers lost power in Southeast Lower Michigan...with the majority of the outages occurring across Oakland and Wayne counties. Particularly hard hit were densely populated communities with mature trees like Detroit, Livonia, Westland, and Taylor. Property damage (mostly minor) was estimated at 4.2 million dollars. There were no reported deaths or injuries with this event. At least one business caught fire from downed power lines. Here are some official wind gusts recorded across the region. Detroit Metro, 55 MPH.Ypsilanti, 54 MPH.Pontiac, 49 MPH.Monroe, 49 MPH.Detroit City, 48 MPH.Troy, 47 MPH.Flint, 46 MPH.Mt Clemens, 46 MPH.Ann Arbor, 45 MPH.Howell, 45 MPH.Saginaw, 45 MPH.Bad Axe, 45 MPH.

A potent storm system moved in from the upper Mississippi Valley on the 5th, placing southeast Michigan in the warm sector. Maximum temperatures climbed into the lower 90s, coupled with dew points near 70, lead to a very unstable airmass. High winds took down tree limbs and knocked out power to about 107,000 DTE Energy customers throughout Southeast Michigan.

A strong low pressure system tracked through Lake Superior during the 30th, with the associated cold front moving through southeast Michigan during the morning hours. Strong cold advection and a tight pressure gradient lead to high winds during the afternoon hours. Wind gusts of 60 mph lead to widespread power outages, downed trees and wires, along with some minor property damage throughout all of southeast Michigan. Utility companies reported power outages to 283,000 customers across lower Michigan, with at least half that total coming from southeast Michigan, where damage was estimated to be 3.5 million dollars.Here are some official winds gusts recorded across the region:Detroit Metro, 56 mph at 330 PM EST.Ann Arbor, 56 mph at 223 PM EST.Howell, 55 mph at 100 PM EST.NWS White Lake, 55 mph at 130 PM EST.Ypsilanti, 55 mph at 250 PM EST.Monroe, 54 mph at 115 PM EST.Detroit City, 52 mph at 307 PM EST.Flint, 51 mph at 100 PM EST.Unofficial wind gust reports from spotters indicated winds approaching 70 mph. There were no reported injuries with this event.

A derecho track along a stalled frontal boundary which was located over northern Indiana and Ohio during the early afternoon hours of the 21st. Washtenaw County was one of the hardest hit, with 28,000 homes losing power.

Severe thunderstorms rolled through southern Michigan during the late-night hours of Thursday, May 20th into the early morning hours of Friday, May 21st. The storms delivered strong winds, hail and heavy rain to southeast Michigan. Much of the rainfall fell in saturated areas that had experienced well-above average precipitation for the month of May. In Southeast Michigan, the combination of heavy rain and the power failure of the Wyandotte Pumping Station during the hours of 12 AM to 530 AM on May 21st led to the occurrences of basement flooding in Dearborn Heights, Romulus, and Allen Park.

A strong low pressure system moved across the straits on the evening of the 12th, moving into Ontario overnight as it deepened to 974 mb. Strong cold advection and a tight pressure gradient over Lower Michigan produced wind gusts between 50 and 60 MPH across all of Southeast Michigan. In addition, there were even a few wind gusts reported between 60 and 88 mph. The highest wind gust was reported by a spotter in Dexter who recorded an 88 mph gust. An estimated 250,000 customers lost power in southeast Michigan, as widespread trees and power lines were blown down.

A very warm, moist and unstable airmass was in place on July 4th. This lead to a few early morning storms which developed along the lake shores, including one that briefly produced severe winds in Algonac. Skies then cleared out during the morning of the 4th, allowing temperatures to soar into the upper 80s and lower 90s across southeast Michigan. Meanwhile, an MCS developed over MN during the overnight hours of July 3rd and quickly raced southeast. This thunderstorm complex moved through Lower Michigan during the late morning hours of the 4th. The very unstable airmass over southeast Michigan allowed the squall line to intensify as it moved through. Severe wind reports occurred from I-69 and points south. There was also one report of severe hail in Northville. The entire event lasted around two hours, leaving 170,000 customers in southeast Michigan without power.

A strong cold front moved through the Great Lakes during the morning of the 11th. This front brought much cooler temperatures and strong winds to the area during the afternoon and evening. Detroit Metro Airport measured a 58 mph wind gust at 334 PM EDT. Wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph were estimated across much of Wayne and Washtenaw counties. The rest of Eastern Michigan generally had estimated wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph. The winds caused several trees to blow down across the area. In Riverview (Wayne County), the roof, sunroof, and windshield of a luxury car was damaged when a flagpole blew down on top of it. A light pole in Allen Park was blown down, which knocked the power out of a storm pump station. This resulted in the flooding of some overpasses in the city. A large tree fell on top of a parked vehicle in the city of Detroit. The strong winds were also blamed for a hydrochloric acid leak from Marsh Planting Corp. in Ypsilanti. Investigators concluded that the high winds ripped a chunk of the plant's roof loose, smashing it into a distribution pipe, which caused roughly 100 gallons of acid to leak out. The winds caused several thousand homes and businesses across the area to lose power.

During the afternoon of the 5th, thunderstorms initiated along a lake breeze (off Lake Michigan) in Southwest Lower Michigan. These thunderstorms then moved along a warm front which was located over Southeast Michigan. Thunderstorms produced mostly hail, with a few damaging wind gusts reported as well. The largest hail (golf ball size) occurred near Ann Arbor and Oxford. Wind Shear in the vicinity of the warm front produced numerous wall and funnel clouds. One tornado did occur near Leonard in Oakland County. It was reported a couple thousand homes and businesses lost power during the storms.

A strong cold front moved through the Great Lakes region during the evening of April 20th. Very warm and humid air pushed into the region ahead of this front. This triggered widespread thunderstorms during the afternoon, some of which produced severe wind gusts and large hail. A much stronger line of thunderstorms then passed through the region during the early evening hours. This line of thunderstorms accompanied the passage of the cold front. The strongest of these storms occurred south and east of an Owosso to Bad Axe line, many of which were accompanied by severe wind gusts. An estimated 10,000 homes and businesses reportedly lost power during the storms. Thunderstorm winds were also responsible for blowing down a 200-foot electricity tower in Ontario, Canada, just across the St Clair River from Marysville. The tower fell onto the river. This led to a major backup of ships on the St Clair River waterways.

A strong low pressure system moved from the Gulf of Mexico to eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania by early morning on the 23rd. A mix of snow, sleet and rain affected locations along and south of I-94 during the afternoon of the 22nd. The precipitation then turned over to all snow by evening. Snowfall continued through much of the night across eastern Michigan and came to an end early in the morning on the 23rd. Winds gusting as high as 40 MPH created considerable blowing and drifting snow with this storm. The highest snowfall totals were located near the border with Ontario and along the shores of Lake Erie. Some snowfall amounts include: 12 inches in Port Huron (St Clair County); 11.5 inches in Wyandotte (Wayne County); 10 inches in Monroe (Monroe County); 9.5 inches in Warren (Macomb County); 9 inches in Mt Clemens (Macomb County); and 9 inches in Royal Oak (Oakland County). The rest of this area generally received anywhere from 6 to 8 inches. Due to the winds, drifts as high as 2 to 3 feet were reported. Snowfall amounts around Howell, Flint, Lapeer and much of the thumb were generally 2 to 4 inches, with drifts as high as a foot still reported. Locations around Owosso and the tri cities generally received under one inch. Dozens of traffic accidents were reported during the storm, with no major injury reports received. Several tree limbs and power lines were blown down in the wind. This led to an estimated 9,000 homes and businesses without power. Many communities in the metro Detroit area declared snow emergencies as a result of the deep snow drifts.

A weak upper air disturbance interacted with hot, humid and very unstable air across far southern Lower Michigan to trigger thunderstorms during the evening of the 4th. The storms developed along and south of Interstate 94. Some of these storms produced damaging winds. These slow moving storms also produced torrential rainfall and frequent lightning. Thousands of residents from I-94 south to the state line were left without power.

Thunderstorms developed in a very warm and humid airmass ahead of an approaching cold front. Thunderstorms developed during the late morning hours around Adrian and then quickly moved northeast and affected the metro Detroit region. These storms dissipated early in the afternoon. However storms redeveloped across western and central Lower Michigan by mid afternoon. These storms then moved into eastern Michigan. The storms continued through the afternoon and much of the evening hours. Severe wind gusts were associated with many of these storms. The most widespread thunderstorm activity occurred across Washtenaw and Wayne counties where thunderstorms repeatedly move through during much of the day. Thousands of power outages were reported throughout eastern Michigan.

A large cluster of thunderstorms formed over Upper Michigan during the overnight hours of July 20th, and then made a right turn over northern Lower Michigan during the morning hours of July 21st. This complex slowly weakened as it moved through southeast Michigan. This storm produced a great deal of lightning and heavy rainfall throughout eastern Michigan. Most of the wind gusts with the strongest storms were in the 40 to 50 MPH range, however, a few isolated severe wind reports were received. An estimated 20,000 homes and businesses were left without power in the metro Detroit Area following the storms.

A weak cold front moved through eastern Michigan during the afternoon of the 18th. This front triggered some scattered thunderstorms across the northern suburbs of Detroit. A couple of these storms produced some severe wind gusts. There was an estimated 11000 homes and businesses who lost power in Wayne and Macomb Counties due to the thunderstorms.

A very strong cold front moved across southeast Michigan during the late afternoon hours of the 9th. A line of showers developed along the cold front. Very strong winds and brief heavy rain were associated with these showers. Behind the line of showers, powerful winds brought much colder air into the region. A low pressure system, which moved across the northern Great Lakes during the afternoon of the 9th, strengthened during the evening as it moved northeast of the region. This allowed the strong winds to continue into the early morning hours of the 10th. In addition to the winds, temperatures dropped from readings in the 50s during the early afternoon of the 9th, to the 20s by late evening. Wind gusts measured between 60 and 70 MPH affected southeast Michigan during the passage of the cold front. Winds as high as 50 to 60 MPH continued into the night. Hundreds of trees, power lines and utility poles were blown down across southeast Michigan. Falling trees caused damage to several homes throughout the region. High winds also tore roofing material and siding off of many homes and businesses. A few cars were also struck by falling trees and branches. An estimated 180,000 homes and businesses across southeast Michigan lost power due many powers lines being blown down. A summary of some of the other damages are listed by county as follows: Bay: The large statue and sign at the Big Boy restaurant on North Euclid Ave. toppled over onto the parking lot, causing damage to a pickup truck. Genesee: A roof was blow off a portion of Bentley High School in Burton, damaging the school's library and GenNet Distance Learning Center. Several computers in the schools library were destroyed when they were drenched by heavy rains following the roofs demise. The Cantonese Gourmet restaurant on South Saginaw St near Belvedere Ave. in Flint also had part of its roof blown off. No injuries were reported at these two locations. Huron: A mother and daughter escaped serious injury when high winds ripped the roof off their trailer home north of Port Hope and sent the structure tumbling across their yard. Several barns across the county were destroyed by the high winds. The bleachers at the Bad Axe ball diamonds were also destroyed by a falling tree. Lenawee: At least two barns on the South County Line Highway were blown down. High winds also blew down part of the frame of a new professional building under construction on the west side of Blissfield. An Adrian woman escaped injury as she was driving westbound on US 223 near Humphrey Highway in Palmyra Township when a tree fell onto the road and struck her car. Monroe: The rubber membrane roof on Ida Elementary School (Ida Township) was ripped off. A part of the awning at the Clark Gas Station on S. Monroe St. and Jones Ave. collapsed due to high winds. A couple of barns across the county were destroyed. A semi-truck was blown over by high winds on US-23 just north of the Dundee on-ramp. The driver was reported to be unhurt. Twenty-eight vehicles were damaged when the plastic signs at Spirit Ford broke and shards were sent across the car lot. Oakland: High winds shattered windows in the grand-stands at the Hazel Park Raceway. Saginaw: Foam insulation and siding was ripped of List Elementary and Frankenmuth High Schools in Frankenmuth. A 21-year old female driver suffered minor injuries when a tree fell on her moving car in Saginaw. Sanilac: Deckerville High School in Deckerville lost about 25 percent of its gym roof due to the high winds. About 35 fifth and sixth graders were in the gym at the time. Noone was injured. Several barns were also destroyed throughout the county. Washtenaw: High winds shattered the windows at a restaurant in Ann Arbor, injuring one person. Wayne: At the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Detroit, a steeple that had topped the sanctuary for 127 years fell onto the street. The roof caved in on the St. Cyrl of Jerusalem's bus garage in Lincoln Park. In Grosse Point Park, a wall collapsed at Young Furniture where a second story was under construction.

A low pressure system moved across southeast Michigan early in the morning on the 1st. Once the low moved east of the region it strengthened and created strong winds across the southern Great Lakes. Maximum wind gusts were around 45 miles an hour. The strong winds tore a seam in the Teflon-covered fabric of the dome on the Mulligan's Golf Center in Auburn Hills, which houses an indoor driving range and 18-hole miniature golf course. 40 golfers were inside at the time. One person sustained a minor ankle injury during the collapse. The 90-foot-high inflatable dome was reportedly the worlds largest. The winds only exacerbated the widespread power outages due to the heavy snow and freezing rain that had occurred on January 30-31 (see January Storm Data for details).

The prolonged period of winter weather across southeast Michigan from January 30th to February 1st was the result of a series of low pressure systems that developed in Texas and moved northeastward along an arctic frontal boundary. During the morning of the 30th, the arctic front extended from central Texas to the southern Ohio River valley. A narrow band of heavy snow, associated with the frontal boundary, fell along the 1-94 corridor from Ann Arbor to Detroit from the morning of the 30th through the early evening hours. The snowfall diminished during the early evening hours of the 30th. However, a low pressure system moved northeast along the arctic frontal boundary that same evening and moved into central Indiana and northern Ohio by the morning of the 31st. This system allowed precipitation to quickly develop across southeast Michigan late in the evening on the 30th. The precipitation began as snow, and then changed over to freezing rain south of I-96 as warm air moved over the colder air near the surface. The heaviest freezing rain fell along and south of a line from Ann Arbor to Detroit, with precipitation being mostly in the form of snow to the north. Precipitation gradually tapered to light freezing rain and freezing drizzle late in the morning of the 31st across all of southeast Michigan as the low moved east of the state. Another low pressure system moved northeast along the frontal boundary during the evening of the 31st. This low pressure system traveled farther north and was thus associated with some warmer air. Freezing rain redeveloped during the evening of the 31st across all of southeast Michigan, and again was heaviest along and south of a Detroit to Ann Arbor line. The low pressure system strengthened as it moved into the southern Great Lakes early in the morning of February 1st. Thus enough warm air was moved northward to change the precipitation over to all rain shortly after midnight on the 1st. The strong low pressure system also caused high winds to develop later in the morning of the 1st (see February Storm Data for more details). From the time the snowfall began on the morning of the 30th, until it changed over to freezing rain during the morning of the 31st, snowfall totals ranged from 7 to 11 inches across much of Wayne and Washtenaw counties, with as much as 12 inches reported in the cities of Ann Arbor and Dearborn Heights. After the snow had changed over to freezing rain, one quarter to one half of an inch of ice had accumulated onto trees and power lines by the evening of the 31st. Snowfall amounted to only 2 to 4 inches across Lenawee and Monroe counties before changing over to freezing rain. Around a half an inch of ice accumulated onto trees, power lines, and untreated surfaces by the afternoon of the 31st in these counties. The rest of southeast Michigan, mainly north of I-96, saw the heaviest precipitation fall in the form of snow. Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 9 inches across this area, with as much as 10 to 11 inches reported around Flint, Owosso, and Lapeer. Most of the damage from this prolonged winter storm occurred in Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee, and Monroe counties due to the higher accumulations of ice. The weight of the snow and ice on trees caused hundreds of tree limbs to break and even uprooted a few large trees. This did damage to dozens of homes and automobiles. The weight of the snow and ice led to the collapse of the roof at Checker's Sav-more Drugs in Westland. Only two people were in the store at the time, and both escaped uninjured. In Salem Township, the metal roof of the Gardner Wescott manufacturing plant also caved in due to the weight of the snow and ice. Noone was inside the plant at the time of the collapse. A girl (age unknown) was struck by a falling tree branch in Detroit and sent to the hospital with minor head injuries. A woman in Ypsilanti was also injured when a tree limb fell and broke her leg.The accumulation of snow and ice on the roads and highways led to dozens of accidents across southeast Michigan. Flooded roadways also led to traffic problems across portions of metro Detroit as storm drains became blocked with snow and ice. At least 5 fatal traffic accidents occurred across southeast Michigan during the two days of winter weather. A man died in Saginaw's Taymouth Township when his pickup truck slid into a creek. Another fatality occurred in Macomb's Shelby Township when a woman and her vehicle spun out of control and hit a pickup truck. One woman was struck and killed when she stepped out of her car to assist a troubled motorist in Washtenaw county. A man in Monroe county was also struck and killed when he stepped out of his disabled car on US-23. At least one other fatal traffic accident also occurred during this storm. Several people were also treated for heart attacks after shoveling heavy snow. Falling tree branches and the weight of the ice downed hundreds of power lines and left an estimated 290 thousand residents and businesses without power, some of which had to wait several days for power to be restored. Most of the power outages occurred in the metro Detroit area, as well as across Washtenaw, Lenawee, and Monroe counties. The heavy snowfall was enough to prompt dozens of communities in the metro Detroit area to declare snow emergencies, and closed almost all school districts.

A strong low pressure system moved into northern Ohio during the afternoon of the 16th. During the evening, this low moved north into eastern Ontario. A tight pressure gradient on the back side of the low pressure system created strong winds across much of Southeast Michigan during the evening of the 16th. Although wind speeds did not reach high wind warning criteria, numerous small tree branches were blown down across metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and the thumb. Some of these tree branches knocked down power lines in the aforementioned locations, causing thousands of residence and business locations to lose power. Maximum wind gusts were estimated around 45 MPH, with locations across Huron and Sanilac counties, downwind of Lake Huron, experiencing estimated gusts near 50 MPH.

A large high pressure ridge settled across the Great Lakes region during the first week of August. With this ridge in place, high temperatures soared well into the 90s across southeast Michigan. During this period, Flint broke 3 record highs, including a high of 98 on the 8th. Detroit also broke a record on the 8th when a high of 99 degrees was reached. In addition to the heat, humidity levels rose significantly during the time period. The high heat and humidity allowed daytime heat indices to exceed 100 degrees four days in a row. In fact, heat advisories were in effect for all of southeast Michigan for the afternoons and evenings of the 7th, 8th, and 9th. During this time period, heat indices ranged from 105 to 110 degrees.The heat caused several people to seek emergency care for heat stroke and heat exhaustion. One fatality also occurred due to the heat when an Oak Park man was found suffering from severe heat exhaustion while locked in his car. Several hours later, he was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The hot weather only aggravated the dry conditions already in place across southeast Lower Michigan (see July for more details). This led to tremendous worries among area farmers that they may loose entire crops. Thousands of power outages also occurred throughout the region as demand surpassed supply. Several factory workers across the area were sent home from work to escape the extreme heat. Many of those who were not, however, threatened to walk off the job as a result of not having air conditioning in their factories.

A strong cold front moved across southeast Michigan in the morning. Strong winds were observed across much of the area after the front went through. In a few spots, the winds reached high wind criteria:Willow Run Airport measured a 61 mph wind gust.Several communications towers were blown down in Monroe County.Several trees and a large barn were destroyed on a farm near Almont.Across the rest of southeast Michigan, most of the damage comprised of isolated trees, large limbs, and power lines being downed, as winds gusted around 50 mph at times. An indirect fatality occurred in Detroit, where a 9 year old boy came in contact with a fallen power line, and was electrocuted. In Ann Arbor, a 7 year old boy suffered minor injuries when a soccer net was blown over onto his head. The Detroit Lions practice dome in Pontiac collapsed in the strong winds. In Lake Orion, a tree downed at a dealership damaged or destroyed 8 new cars. Nearby in Oxford, a cinder block wall inside a school bus garage was toppled, and shingles were blown off a school roof. A freeway sign was downed onto 11 Mile Road in Royal Oak. In Warren, a golf dome was destroyed. An apartment complex in Chesterfield Township (Macomb County) saw a brick facade sheared off; the bricks landed on a row of gas meters, and the building was evacuated until the gas could be shut off. In Port Huron, a large sign was torn off the roof of a business, landing on a car parked outside. Near Dundee, a boat being towed behind a car was blown over.

A strong cold front moved across lower Michigan on the 25th. Very windy conditions occurred behind the front, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph common. In a few places, high wind criteria was reached. Detroit Metropolitan Airport measured a peak gust of 60 mph, while Monroe had a 58 mph gust. A cluster of trees was downed in Laingsburg in Shiawassee County, and a nearby roof was stripped of shingles. Nearby Owosso measured a 50 mph gust. Elsewhere in southeast Michigan, scattered areas saw power lines and tree limbs downed. About 85,000 Detroit Edison customers in metro Detroit lost power at some point during the day. Genesee County experienced numerous small fires thanks to downed power lines, with winds gusting to 48 mph at Flint Bishop Airport. Traffic signals malfunctioned in St Clair County.

A low pressure system exiting the central plains pushed a warm front north into Indiana and Ohio. A wintry mix of precipitation broke out north of the warm front, with freezing rain being the dominant precipitation type. In a few locations, ice storm criteria was just barely reached, with ice accumulations around a quarter inch. The ice produced relatively little tree and power line damage, though it may have contributed to damage done the next day in strong winds. One power line in Waterford gave way late on the 24th. The line fell onto a building and ignited a fire, destroying a dentist office.The biggest effect of the ice was on area roads. I-475 in Flint was closed for a couple of hours due to accidents on the ice. A propane tanker rolled and leaked on I-75 north of Birch Run, closing the freeway for 16 hours. The driver of the tanker was hospitalized. An accident on US-23 in Fenton injured three.The warm front continued north across the area during the night of the 24th. The warmer air changed the freezing rain to rain.

A powerful storm system moved east just south of Michigan, dumping heavy snow across all of the area, with some freezing rain and sleet near the Ohio border. Near blizzard conditions were found across all of the area, with an outright blizzard in the Thumb. Many schools were closed for two to four days after the storm. Mail delivery the next day was spotty at best, and many businesses and government offices were closed. Several communities declared snow emergencies, forbidding all non-emergency travel until crews could clear roads. Presidential Emergency Declarations were made for all counties in southeast Michigan except Wayne, Lenawee, and Monroe.Specific snowfall amounts and impacts of the storm, by county: Bay: 7" in Essexville; 8" near Linwood; 8 to 10" in Bay City with lightning. Genesee: 14" in Fenton; 13-14" in Burton with 45 mph winds. In Flint, 12-14" fell, along with 45 mph winds and 4 foot drifts. Flint Bishop International Airport closed in the afternoon of the 11th, and ended up with 14", the third largest snowfall on record. Up to 200 cars were stranded on Interstate 75 just south of Flint during the storm. The Flint Journal was unable to publish on the 12th, the first time that happened in 42 years (it was a strike that shut the newspaper down then). This was believed to be the first time ever that the Flint Journal did not publish due to a weather event in its 124 year history. In Burton, the roof of a window manufacturing company collapsed. One person suffered a hand injury. Huron: 6-10" in Bad Axe; 13" near Rapson; 16.2" in Port Hope with blizzard conditions and wind gusts to 58 mph; 8" in Sebewaing. Lapeer: 12-16" near Lapeer (city), with 3 foot drifts and 40 mph winds, closing the Lapeer Post Office for the first time ever due to weather. More than 12" in Imlay City. Interstate 69 was closed from Davison to Imlay City during the night. Lenawee: 5.7" in Adrian with some freezing rain; 5.8" in Tipton; Hudson had 2.5" and freezing rain, and missed mail delivery for the first time since the blizzard of 1978. Livingston: 10.4" in Hell; 10" in Howell; 10-15" in Brighton, with 3 to 5 foot drifts and 40 to 50 mph winds. Macomb: 12" in Harrison Township, Romeo, Sterling Hts, and Utica; 9.8" in Mt Clemens; 9-11" in St Clair Shores. A house burned to the ground in Richmond during the night, as firefighters were unable to reach the home due to weather and road conditions. Midland: 7 to 11" in Midland (city) with 35 mph winds; 8.6" in the south central portion of the county. Monroe: 8.5" just southeast of Milan; up to half an inch of freezing rain in Monroe (city) along with 2-5" of snow, with several trees downed due to ice and wind, and power outages to 2500 homes, and several injury accidents; 3-5" in Dundee with some sleet and freezing rain, and 2 foot drifts covered US-23. Oakland: 12" in Royal Oak; 12-14" in Oxford; 14" in White Lake; 11-12" in Farmington and Farmington Hills; 11" in West Bloomfield; 8.8" in Milford; 11-12" in South Lyon with 40 mph winds. St Clair: 12.3" near Avoca, with thunder and a 48 mph wind gust; 14.7" in Ruby; 17.5" in Yale, which was the biggest storm since 1947; 14" in Capac. In Port Huron, 12-20" of snow fell along with thunder and wind gusts to 50 mph, closing the Blue Water Bridge to Canada, and destroying a golf dome. Saginaw: 8.5" in Saginaw (city); 8" near Shields with thunder and near blizzard conditions; 6.7" in Chesaning; 11" in Frankenmuth with 3 foot drifts, roads drifted shut, 40 mph winds, and lightning. MBS (Tri Cities) International Airport had many flights cancelled, and the airport was closed at 830 pm on the 11th, with 40 mph winds, visibilities as low as 2 feet, and snowfall of 9.8". Sanilac: 13" in Brown City; 12" in Sandusky; 8" in Marlette; 8.9" in Deckerville. Shiawassee: 10.2" in Owosso with very strong winds; 12" in Byron; 15.5" in Morrice; 9.3" in Corunna. Tuscola: 8" in Akron with thunder; 10.5" in Caro Center; 11.0" in Cass City; 13.5" in Millington and Fairgrove Township; 10-14" in Vassar. In Caro, 16.3" of snow fell, along with 40-50 mph wind, zero visibility, 4 foot drifts, and lightning, producing 41 automobile accidents, including an 18 car pile-up on the north side of town that required snowmobiles to rescue stranded motorists. Washtenaw: 10.5" in Chelsea; 8-12" in Ann Arbor; 7-12" in Ypsilanti with 35 mph gusts along with thunder and sleet, closing Eastern Michigan University for only the second time ever; 7.5" near Saline; more than 10" in Dexter; 6-12" in Manchester. Wayne: 6-12" in Dearborn and Dearborn Hts, as well as 45 mph winds and around 50 auto accidents; 7" in Grosse Pointe Farms; 8-10" in Hamtramck; 6-8" in Romulus with sleet; 12" in Belleville; 5" and some freezing rain in Grosse Ile (power outages in nearby Trenton); 4-6" in Flat Rock; 8.1" in Allen Park; three-eighths inches of freezing rain in Rockwood; 8-11" in Wayne (city) with some sleet and 35 mph winds; 10.5" in Livonia; 6-9" in Plymouth and Canton; golf dome collapsed in Northville. At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, 6.1" fell, with 197 departures and 165 arrivals were cancelled (many hours ahead of time), and 150 travelers spent the night at the airport. Cancellations numbered 125 the next day.

A warm and muggy airmass persisted over southeast Michigan. A complex of thunderstorms moved east across northern Michigan in the early morning hours. Outflow from this thunderstorm complex moved south into southeast Michigan as a miniature cold front, and thunderstorms redeveloped along the leading edge of this outflow in the afternoon. Meanwhile, thunderstorms also developed in northeast Indiana, along the edge of a deck of low clouds. These separate areas of thunderstorms would merge over Metro Detroit in the late afternoon and early evening, producing tremendous amounts of rain. Many places had seen heavy rain the day before, and thus the area was quite vulnerable to flooding.At Detroit Metro Airport, 3.71 inches of rain fell on the 11th. This was the wettest September day ever in Detroit, and the 5th wettest day of all time. This was on top of the 1.65 inches that fell the day before. National Weather Service radar estimated around 5 inches of rain fell on the 11th in a swath from Brownstown Township to Allen Park in Wayne County. In Washtenaw County, 2.26 inches of rain fell in Ann Arbor, after 1.32 inches the previous day.The storms had a broad impact. Over 30,000 households were affected by power outages. About one hundred flights out of Detroit Metro Airport were cancelled, and numerous people were stranded at the airport overnight due to the multitude of flooded roads in the area. A collision on Interstate 94 in Harrison Township (Macomb County) during a downpour closed the highway for two hours. Sewage overflows were common in Wayne County, as the water treatment system was quickly overwhelmed; the failure of some pumping operations due to power outages contributed to the sewer backup. Several lawsuits were filed in connection with damage caused by raw sewage.

A warm, humid air mass was in place across southeast Michigan. Thunderstorms developed in the afternoon, well ahead of a cold front in the upper Mississippi Valley. Several of these storms became severe. Spotters estimated 70 mph wind gusts in central Macomb County, where numerous trees and large limbs were downed. Severe reports elsewhere consisted of a few trees, limbs, and/or power lines downed by wind.

A warm front moved north across lower Michigan on the 12th, ushering in another warm, muggy, unstable air mass. Thunderstorms developed northeast of Grand Rapids in the afternoon, then moved east toward the Saginaw Valley and Thumb areas. One storm evolved into a classic supercell, producing baseball sized hail from just east of Bay City to near Sebewaing. The supercell continued east across Huron County, and produced the first tornado of the severe weather season a few miles north of White Rock. Many trees were downed near the Lake Huron shoreline, with some downed onto homes. A storage shed was blown into a neighbor's yard, a swimming pool was destroyed, and several canoes were damaged.Several other storms moved across Huron County, dumping up to 5 inches of rain in some parts of the county. Flash flooding resulted in the Pigeon/Elkton area. A trailer park in Elkton had to be evacuated as the Pinnebog River quickly rose out of its banks. Water rose as high as the electric meters on some of the mobile homes. High water lingered in the county through the night, with flooding along the Willow River in Bloomfield Township (Redman Road was closed for a time), and street flooding in Harbor Beach.Additional storms developed further south in the evening, and moved east across metro Detroit. These storms produced marginally severe hail, and sporadic wind damage in the form of downed trees and power lines.

A low pressure system moved east across the northern Great Lakes, and an associated cold front reached Lake Michigan during the overnight hours. Warm, moist air moved north into the central Great Lakes ahead of the cold front. Thunderstorms erupted at night across lower Michigan, well ahead of the cold front. Several became severe, producing damaging wind gusts.Most of the damage was in the form of trees, tree limbs, and power lines downed. The most substantial damage was in Washtenaw County. A home in Lima Township (just southeast of Chelsea) had its roof torn off; the roof landed on a nearby car. In Ann Arbor, falling trees crushed two cars. All told, over 40,000 people in southeast Michigan lost power at some point during the storms. But the worst storms of the day were still to come.

A strong cold front moved slowly south across southeast Michigan during the afternoon and evening of the 9th. Thunderstorms developed in the warm, humid air out ahead of the cold front. A number of these became severe, producing the worst severe thunderstorm outbreak in metro Detroit in almost two years. The thunderstorms took two forms on this day. Widely scattered supercells developed across southeast Michigan, south of Interstate 69. These rotating thunderstorms produced numerous funnel clouds, but no confirmed tornadoes. However, some of these storms produced very large hail. Hailstones as large as oranges were reported in Ypsilanti. The Detroit Tiger baseball game at Comerica Park was interrupted by golfball sized hail. The game was eventually rained/hailed out. Golfball sized hail was also reported in Tecumseh and Plymouth. Some sporadic wind damage also occurred with these storms, downing trees and power lines. However, the stronger winds were to come later.A line of thunderstorms developed in northern Illinois and Indiana, and moved northeast at almost 70 mph. This line of storms overtook the supercells as it moved into southeast Michigan, and produced widespread wind damage. Some of the most significant damage follows:In Lenawee County: A barn was destroyed in Hudson. Several vehicles were damaged by fallen trees in Morenci and Adrian. Blissfield experienced some of the worst damage: a mobile home was flipped, injuring the two occupants (one of whom had broken ribs and a punctured lung); another man suffered electrical injuries when a falling power line struck him; an RV was overturned; store signs were destroyed; a garage collapsed; several homes were damaged by fallen trees, including one landmark home heavily damaged; at a local ball field, a scoreboard was destroyed, a dugout deroofed, and metal bleachers tossed; and large steel grain bins were destroyed. A hangar at nearby Betz Airport collapsed, crushing an airplane. Two other hangars were damaged. In Sand Lake, a hay barn and a corral were blown down. Tecumseh was also hard hit: a storage structure at a lumber yard was destroyed; part of an inn was deroofed; and numerous homes and vehicles were damaged by fallen trees.Dozens of trees were downed in Monroe County. A spotter measured a 75 mph gust in Maybee, where a glass patio table was tossed from a porch to the back yard (without breaking!). A trailer was blown over at a Dundee construction site, where a large tree damaged a car, home, and shed when it fell. In Petersburg, a falling tree crushed an historic (over 150 year old) railroad depot.Wind damage was also widespread in Washtenaw County. In Milan, a garage was blown down, and eight vehicles were struck by falling trees. A grocery store in Ann Arbor had its front doors blown off. Ypsilanti was hardest hit: several hundred trees were downed, damaging a home, slicing a camper van in half, and crushing a garage and a car; a fire station was partially deroofed; and a church steeple was destroyed.In Wayne County: The west and southwest sides of the city of Detroit saw damage, with windows shattered, roofs peeled up, and chimneys knocked over. At the intersection of Tireman and Rangoon, a car was flipped, injuring the two occupants; a nearby factory was deroofed, with a 13 year old boy injured by flying debris. At Detroit Metro Airport, a 55 mph gust was measured; a Mesaba Airlines hangar was destroyed, and a plane inside was damaged. Power poles were broken in Flat Rock. In New Boston, store fronts were damaged, with many trees uprooted. At Mettetal Airport near Plymouth, a plane was flipped. Scores of trees were downed in Westland, damaging a truck and a home, and breaking windows. In Redford, a falling tree destroyed a swimming pool and damaged a garage. Woodhaven saw a garage destroyed and a second displaced; a warehouse roof was damaged; a home was deroofed; street signs were downed; and a wood board was embedded in the side of a house. A school in Livonia had its air conditioning units blown over, and the walls of a connecting corridor were displaced. Two homes in Dearborn were condemned after tree damage; another home was shifted off its foundation; a garage was destroyed; and a building was deroofed, with roofing debris damaging two nearby cars. An outbuilding was demolished by falling trees in Sumpter Township.Oakland County was the other county that saw widespread damage. A 64 mph wind gust occurred in White Lake. Winds to 70 mph deroofed a trailer home in Highland. In Milford, falling trees crushed a car and damaged a home. Farmington saw a garage damaged by a tree, and phone poles were snapped. In Novi, a trailer at a construction site was destroyed, with another trailer and a wall under construction sustaining damage; the air conditioning units on the roof of a business were ripped off. Power poles were snapped in Auburn Hills. Dozens of trees were downed in Pontiac, destroying a garage and damaging several homes. In Bloomfield Township, a trampoline was destroyed, and a home was damaged by a falling tree. Waterford saw an animal shelter destroyed, another damaged; over 150 trees were damaged; and a picnic pavilion was also damaged.Damage in the other counties was much less widespread, and was generally limited to tree limbs and power lines going down. All told, over 200,000 people lost power at some point, and thousands of insurance claims were filed over the coming weeks. Many schools were closed the next day due to damage or power outages; some schools and businesses did not reopen for several days.

A strong low pressure system moved east along a stationary front just south of Michigan during the day. Elevated thunderstorms formed north of the front, some of which produced marginally severe hail. The storms were also unusually prolific lightning producers for so early in severe weather season.During the mid to late afternoon hours, some of the storms moved repeatedly over the same areas.. Rainfall amounts were as high as 3.58 inches at Detroit Metro Airport, 3.5 inches in Monroe, 2.5 inches in Macomb County, and 2.09 inches in White Lake. Radar estimated as much as four inches of rain fell in parts of Monroe, Wayne, and Oakland Counties. Some spotty urban flooding resulted, closing roads during the busy late afternoon rush hour. In addition, the thunderstorms seriously disrupted air travel at Detroit Metro Airport. Over 160 flights were cancelled, and all traffic at the airport was halted for a half hour period during the afternoon.During the closest approach of the low pressure system, east winds increased dramatically. A brief surge of wind in mid afternoon brought gusts to around 40 mph. A few power lines were downed here and there, but the worst of the wind was three miles north of Utica, where a tree fell on a home.