Thunderstorm Wind — Leelanau, Michigan

2015-08-02 · near Glen Haven, Leelanau, Michigan

Event narrative

An NWS storm survey team estimated winds in excess of 80 mph crossing much of southern Leelanau County. Thousands of trees were downed in this swath, from the Sleeping Bear Dunes to Grand Traverse Bay. Many homes and vehicles were damaged by falling trees. Area roads were closed for days, in some cases weeks. Glen Arbor was inaccessible via road for two days, until M-22 could be cleared of trees and reopened. The county established drop points for residents to leave storm debris; these remained open for seven weeks after the storm. Across Leelanau County, two homes were destroyed, and over 700 were damaged in some way.

Wider weather episode

An historic severe weather outbreak in northern Michigan, as multiple waves of severe thunderstorms crossed the region. A passing cold front would finally end the activity during the evening hours. This episode featured widespread straight-line wind damage in parts of northwest lower Michigan, and the largest hail on record in northern Michigan in Ogemaw County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.8920, -86.0587)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 601099. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.