Thunderstorm Wind in Clare County, Michigan

Numerous trees were reported downed county wide, with the most noteworthy tree damage observed in a path from approximately 3 miles west southwest of Temple to 3 miles west northwest of Lake George as deduced by an NWS Storm Survey team. The area surrounding Little Norway Lake appeared to have sustained the most significant damage, with hundreds of trees uprooted or snapped which caused blocked roadways and power outages. Two homes on the lake had trees that had fallen upon them.

During the evening hours, thunderstorms began to initiate in a moderate to strongly unstable environment along a southwest to northeast oriented surface cold front located in Wisconsin and extending into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The storms quickly grew upscale into a linear MCS and raced to the east toward Lake Michigan. The convective system began to come ashore in lower Michigan during the late evening hours. The storms from Muskegon County to the north maintained their strength and produced numerous reports of widespread tree damage and a few reports of large hail, though storms along the line southward from Muskegon County weakened significantly as they approached the Michigan shores. However, widespread wind damage was still observed with a very strong gust front that advanced quickly ahead of the leading line of convection. The gust front produced winds of 50 to over 60 miles per hour and numerous reports of downed trees and power lines.