Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 53, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

September 20, 2025Ottawa County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 20, 2025, 8:12 PM EDT for Ottawa County, Michigan. It was in force for 33 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 20, 2025, 8:12 PM EDT (00:12 UTC)
Expired
Sep 20, 2025, 8:45 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Ottawa County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:12 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Sep 20, 8:02 PM EDT, 10 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Scattered showers and Storms this evening into Sunday morning
  • Showers and Storms Sunday afternoon, some could be strong to severe
  • Continued chances for showers and storms through at least midweek
Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 8:02 PM EDT, 10 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
Issued by National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI
802 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Scattered showers and Storms this evening into Sunday morning

- Showers and Storms Sunday afternoon, some could be strong to
  severe

- Continued chances for showers and storms through at least
  midweek

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 340 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

- Scattered showers and Storms this evening into Sunday morning

As the saying goes, drought begets drought, until it begets
flood. While we are not expecting flooding, a period of tumultuous
weather is ahead. A positively tilted upper level ridge will be
advected to the East as a deepening trough drives through the
upper Midwest and into the Great Lakes. As that trough pushes
east, it will bring scattered showers this evening and overnight
into Sunday morning. There remains enough instability for isolated
storms this afternoon and evening, though that threat will be
mainly along the lakeshore.

Scattered showers will continue early Sunday morning. The best
areas of rainfall will be along and West of US 131 with streaks of
1 to 1.5 inches possible. East of US 131 precipitation this
evening into tomorrow becomes sparser, however a quarter of an
inch rainfall to the US 127 corridor is possible.

- Showers and Storms Sunday afternoon, some could be strong to
severe

There will be a flow shift from the current southeasterly winds
tomorrow. Winds will shift to the southwest by tomorrow afternoon.
That flow will bring in unstable air that will coincide with
halfway decent shear through the mid-levels. While the LLJ is not
overly strong, it should be strong enough to sustain storm
development.

The above features along with potentially 7 to 8 C/km Lapse Rates
and upwards of 1500 J/KG of CAPE will create an environment for
storms tomorrow afternoon. While the best shear should move fairly
quickly to the east, there is a window Sunday afternoon into
early evening for strong to possibly severe storms. Due to this
SPC has most of Lower Michigan in a marginal risk for tomorrow.
While scattered storms will be possible across southwest Michigan,
the best chance will be south of the I 96 corridor, especially
along the I 94 corridor.

- Continued chances for showers and storms through at least midweek

A positively tilted low should continue to move along the
Canadian border through the first half of the week. This will
bring a ribbon of moisture that will stretch across Michigan
bringing periods of showers, along with cooler temperatures
through midweek. Best chances for precipitation will be through
southern Lower Michigan. Models begin to diverge mid week on
passage of the low. EC keeps it to the south, with the GFS
bringing it further north. Some Ensemble runs of the EC bringing
it further north, so a chance for showers and storms will be
possible Thursday into Friday.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/...
Issued at 754 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

Scattered showers and thunderstorms spreading across terminals
early this evening may bring reductions in CIGS and VSBYs down to
MVFR and possibly IFR at times from heavy rain. Thunderstorm
activity should wane into tonight, but isolated to scattered
showers likely to linger across majority of terminals through
much of the night with the nearby warm front. Outside of shower
activity tonight, ceilings will be predominately VFR at around
5-7kft and winds out of the east to southeast to 10 knots or
less. Increasing coverage of showers and thunderstorms redevelop
after 12Z tomorrow morning.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 340 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

Scattered thunderstorms are expected over Lake Michigan through
this evening. Some could produce small hail and wind shifts with
gusts over 30 knots. An isolated thunderstorm over the lake also
cannot be ruled out on Sunday. Waves outside of thunderstorms are
expected to be around 1 to 3 feet Sunday and Monday with generally
south/southwest winds.

&&

.GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MI...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Ceru
AVIATION...CAS
MARINE...CAS/Thomas
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 20, 4:25 PM EDT, 3 hours 47 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
Issued by National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI
425 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-210800-
Mason-Lake-Osceola-Clare-Oceana-Newaygo-Mecosta-Isabella-Muskegon-
Montcalm-Gratiot-Ottawa-Kent-Ionia-Clinton-Allegan-Barry-Eaton-
Ingham-Van Buren-Kalamazoo-Calhoun-Jackson-
425 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for southwest Lower Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

There is a chance for thunderstorms tonight but severe intensity is
not expected.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible Sunday through
Tuesday. There is a marginal risk for severe storms Sunday afternoon
and evening with localized wind gusts up to 60 mph as the main
hazard.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

LMZ844>849-210800-
St Joseph to South Haven MI-South Haven to Holland MI-
Holland to Grand Haven MI-Grand Haven to Whitehall MI-
Whitehall to Pentwater MI-Pentwater to Manistee MI-
425 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for the nearshore waters from
St Joseph to Manistee.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

There is a chance for thunderstorms tonight. Severe intensity is not
expected, however a localized gust around 35 knots is possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible Sunday through
Tuesday. There is a marginal risk for severe storms Sunday afternoon
and evening with localized wind gusts in excess of 34 knots as the
main hazard.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 20, 6:51 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 20, 7:53 PM EDT, 19 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Sep 20, 8:08 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
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Local storm report, Sep 20, 8:12 PM EDT, 0 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
812 PM EDT Sat Sep 20 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0805 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 S Holland             42.75N 86.10W
09/20/2025  M53 MPH          Allegan            MI   ASOS

            ASOS station KBIV W Mich Regional Arpt.

&&

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 20, 8:08 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRKent37 min
Sep 20, 8:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan, Kent27 min
Sep 20, 8:36 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRKent24 min
Sep 20, 8:57 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRNewaygo33 min
Sep 20, 9:25 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRCass35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 2025Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.