Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, July 20, 1987

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, July 20, 1987
Start: 1987-07-20T11:05
End: 1987-07-20T19:30
Location: Michigan

July 20, 1987 · NWS ARB · 51 events in 44 counties and zones

48 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 4
Injuries: 7
Property damage: $280
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 51

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

48 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gogebic

When: July 20, 11:05 AM CST
Where: Gogebic County
Coordinates: 46.450, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Marquette

When: July 20, 12:33 PM CST
Where: Marquette County
Coordinates: 46.280, -87.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Marquette

When: July 20, 12:48 PM CST
Where: Marquette County
Coordinates: 46.400, -87.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Dickinson

When: July 20, 12:55 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County
Coordinates: 45.830, -88.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Delta

When: July 20, 1:10 PM CST
Where: Delta County
Coordinates: 45.820, -87.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Menominee

When: July 20, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Menominee County
Coordinates: 45.120, -87.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Delta

When: July 20, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Delta County
Coordinates: 45.720, -87.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Leelanau

When: July 20, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Leelanau County
Coordinates: 45.020, -85.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Benzie

When: July 20, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Benzie County
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 44.720, -85.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Grand Traverse

When: July 20, 2:33 PM CST
Where: Grand Traverse County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 44.770, -85.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Manistee

When: July 20, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Manistee County
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 44.250, -86.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Alcona

When: July 20, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Alcona County
Coordinates: 44.750, -83.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Roscommon

When: July 20, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Roscommon County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 44.300, -84.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Montmorency

When: July 20, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Montmorency County
Coordinates: 45.030, -84.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Oscoda

When: July 20, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Oscoda County
Coordinates: 44.670, -84.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Muskegon

When: July 20, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Muskegon County
Coordinates: 43.300, -86.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Iosco

When: July 20, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Iosco County
Coordinates: 44.370, -83.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When: July 20, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Coordinates: 42.330, -83.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Ogemaw

When: July 20, 4:14 PM CST
Where: Ogemaw County
Coordinates: 44.280, -84.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Montcalm

When: July 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Montcalm County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.280, -85.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Gladwin

When: July 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Gladwin County
Coordinates: 44.000, -84.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Clare

When: July 20, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Clare County
Coordinates: 44.000, -84.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Isabella

When: July 20, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Isabella County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 42.630, -84.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Kent

When: July 20, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Kent County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.000, -85.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Midland

When: July 20, 4:44 PM CST
Where: Midland County
Coordinates: 43.670, -84.380

Tornado, Barry

When: July 20, 5:45 PM EST
Where: Barry County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 42.600, -85.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Gratiot

When: July 20, 4:59 PM CST
Where: Gratiot County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.280, -84.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When: July 20, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County
Coordinates: 42.950, -86.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Bay

When: July 20, 5:07 PM CST
Where: Bay County
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 43.800, -83.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Huron

When: July 20, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Huron County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 43.730, -83.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Saginaw

When: July 20, 5:24 PM CST
Where: Saginaw County
Coordinates: 43.350, -84.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When: July 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Allegan County
Coordinates: 42.620, -85.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Shiawassee

When: July 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Shiawassee County
Coordinates: 43.000, -84.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When: July 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Barry County
Coordinates: 42.600, -85.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Genesee

When: July 20, 5:34 PM CST
Where: Genesee County
Coordinates: 43.020, -83.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Ionia

When: July 20, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Ionia County
Coordinates: 42.930, -85.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When: July 20, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Barry County
Coordinates: 42.770, -85.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: July 20, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Coordinates: 42.250, -85.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Ingham

When: July 20, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Ingham County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.700, -84.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Eaton

When: July 20, 5:53 PM CST
Where: Eaton County
Coordinates: 42.600, -84.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When: July 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Coordinates: 42.250, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: July 20, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 42.250, -84.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Berrien

When: July 20, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Berrien County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 41.950, -86.450

Tornado, Wayne

When: July 20, 7:15 PM EST
Where: Wayne County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 42.320, -83.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Kalamazoo

When: July 20, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Kalamazoo County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 42.250, -85.500

Hail, Eaton

When: July 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Eaton County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.570, -84.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale

When: July 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Hillsdale County
Coordinates: 41.980, -84.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Livingston

When: July 20, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Livingston County
Coordinates: 42.670, -84.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Washtenaw

When: July 20, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Washtenaw County
Coordinates: 42.250, -83.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale

When: July 20, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Hillsdale County
Coordinates: 41.880, -84.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Branch

When: July 20, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Branch County
Coordinates: 41.920, -85.070

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Huron	1987-07-20				Direct
Thunderstorm Wind, Kalamazoo	1987-07-20				Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 1987 Every state in 1987 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Michigan, 1987 Warnings in Michigan, July 1987

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10055085, 10055086, 10055087, 10055088, 10055089, 10055090, 10055091, 10055092, 10055093, 10055094, 10055095, 10055096, 10055097, 10055098, 10055099, 10055100, 10055101, 10055102, 10055103, 10055104, 10055105, 10055106, 10055107, 10055108, 10055109, 10055121, 10055110, 10055111, 10055112, 10055113, 10055114, 10055115, 10055116, 10055117, 10055118, 10055119, 10055120, 10055122, 10055123, 10055124, and more.