Thunderstorm Wind — Ionia, Michigan

2019-09-11 · near Saranac, Ionia, Michigan

Event narrative

The public reported that a large barn was blown off it's foundation and there was minor damage to a small barn in the same area near Woodbury. Scattered wind damage was also noted from southeast of Lowell to Lake Odessa in the form of scattered downed trees and limbs.

Wider weather episode

A quasi linear convective system (QLCS) produced wind damage along a fifty mile long and a half to 5 mile swath that cut through parts of downtown Grand Rapids. Significant wind damage was observed within to just east of the city. The most intense damage occurred at Belknap apartments in downtown Grand Rapids where two thirds of the roof was ripped off of the three story complex. There was also scattered tree damage and a few shingles missing from houses near the apartment complex. A microburst containing winds of up to around 100 mph caused the damage. Additional significant damage was noted about 1.5 miles east of the Belknap apartments where several buildings incurred significant damage. Hundreds of trees were either snapped off or uprooted.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.9032, -85.2730)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 851144. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.