Thunderstorm Wind — Gratiot, Michigan

2013-05-20 · near Alma, Gratiot, Michigan

Event narrative

A trained spotter reported large trees and power lines down near Alma and estimated wind gusts of up to 70 to 75 mph.

Wider weather episode

Severe weather struck portions of Southwest Lower Michigan during the afternoon and evening hours of May 20th. Damaging winds and large hail accompanied the strongest storms. As the temperature and humidity levels climbed through the day, this led to a very unstable airmass in Michigan. The arrival of a wave of low pressure triggered the storms shortly after noon. As this feature tracked northeastward through Lower Michigan through the afternoon and evening, the storms strengthened and expanded in coverage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (43.3800, -84.6200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 443994. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.