Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, July 15, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, July 15, 1988
Start: 1988-07-15T06:30
End: 1988-07-15T22:15
Location: Michigan

July 15, 1988 · NWS ARB · 15 events in 12 counties and zones

9 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 tornado, 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $28,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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

9 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gogebic

When: July 15, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Gogebic County
Coordinates: 46.470, -90.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When: July 15, 1:35 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County
Coordinates: 42.780, -86.120

Hail, Kent

When: July 15, 1:55 PM CST
Where: Kent County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 43.030, -85.600

Tornado, Van Buren

When: July 15, 3:30 PM EST
Where: Van Buren County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 42.220, -85.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 15, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Cass County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 41.870, -85.870

Hail, Van Buren

When: July 15, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.250, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When: July 15, 4:04 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Coordinates: 42.250, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Kalamazoo

When: July 15, 4:04 PM CST
Where: Kalamazoo County
Coordinates: 42.250, -85.500

Tornado, St. Joseph

When: July 15, 5:25 PM EST
Where: St. Joseph County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.930, -85.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Alger

When: July 15, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Alger County
Coordinates: 46.350, -86.920

Hail, Alger

When: July 15, 5:16 PM CST
Where: Alger County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 46.430, -86.680

Hail, Marquette

When: July 15, 6:19 PM CST
Where: Marquette County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 46.280, -87.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Emmet

When: July 15, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Emmet County
Coordinates: 45.750, -84.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Presque Isle

When: July 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Presque Isle County
Coordinates: 45.400, -83.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Alpena

When: July 15, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Alpena County
Coordinates: 45.030, -83.570

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Michigan, 1988 Warnings in Michigan, July 1988

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: 10052873, 10052874, 10052875, 10052878, 10052876, 10052877, 10052879, 10052880, 10052883, 10052881, 10052882, 10052884, 10052885, 10052886, 10052887.