Thunderstorm Wind in Muskegon County, Michigan

A peak wind gust of 61 mph was recorded at the Muskegon airport. Wind gusts of at least 75 mph were estimated based on damage across far southern Muskegon county in the Fruitport area, where hundreds of trees and numerous power lines were blown down. The entire village was left without power.

Severe thunderstorms developed across west central lower Michigan ahead of a cold front during the late afternoon hours of August 9th. A particularly severe thunderstorm complex moved onshore between Muskegon and Grand Haven at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park 6:25 pm. The storm complex moved east-northeast producing a 35 mile long and up to 9 mile wide path of EF-0 wind damage. The damage area included the far northern Ottawa county, far southern Muskegon county, and northwest Kent County. Fruitport took the brunt of the storm with wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph lasting for about 10 minutes. Hundreds of trees were blown down many taking down utility lines and poles in the process. Tens of homes were heavily damaged by tree fall. Some apple orchards in the Conklin area also suffered heavy crop and tree damage from the winds. The storm also produced wind gusts of 65 to 75 mph that brought down trees and utility lines in Sparta, Kent City, and Cedar Springs.

A second area of thunderstorms developed south and east of Grand Rapids and produced wind damage in eastern Ingham county along Interstate-96 near Webberville and in central Jackson county. A severe storm just northwest of Jackson a few miles from the Interstate 94 and U.S. - 127 interchange produced 70 mph wind gusts that peeled part of the roof off of Kidder Middle School as well as damaging as many as 100 trees. The storm produced damaging wind gusts over a 5 mile long and up to 1.75 mile wide path.