Hail — Presque Isle, Michigan

2004-07-13 · near Posen, Presque Isle, Michigan

Event narrative

A devastating hailstorm caused extensive damage in the small town of Posen. The hail was driven at times by wind gusts around 60 mph. Most buildings and vehicles in the community suffered some sort of damage. Holes were punched in roofs and siding; cars were dented, and windows broken. Buildings that had siding damage were damaged almost exclusively on their south side. The storm spawned hundreds of insurance claims. A local church had to patch 300 holes in its roof. Damage to a school roof was estimated at nearly $200,000, and a local greenhouse lost over a thousand two-foot by two-foot window panes. One individual suffered a badly bruised back as he tried to move his vehicle to shelter. Substantial damage was done to crops (largely potatoes, with some beans, tomatoes and corn in the mix) in nearby fields.

Wider weather episode

Several rounds of thunderstorms occurred in the afternoon and evening, just ahead of a cold front. The atmosphere was very unstable, and conducive to damaging winds and especially large hail. Though most of the hail was only marginally severe, one storm produced extremely large hail - and considerable damage - in southeast Presque Isle County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.2500, -83.7500)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5412692. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.