Michigan, 1988

Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, May 15, 1988

May 15, 1988 · NWS ARB · 18 events in 10 counties and zones

8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 3 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
4
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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

8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Berrien

When
May 15, 1:25 PM CST
Where
Berrien County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
42.130, -86.430

Hail, Berrien

When
May 15, 2:13 PM CST
Where
Berrien County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
42.050, -86.480

Hail, Calhoun

When
May 15, 2:15 PM CST
Where
Calhoun County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
42.100, -84.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale

When
May 15, 2:35 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Coordinates
41.780, -84.800

Hail, Lenawee

When
May 15, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Lenawee County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.900, -84.070

Hail, Oakland

When
May 15, 3:26 PM CST
Where
Oakland County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.580, -83.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Berrien

When
May 15, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Berrien County
Coordinates
41.830, -86.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
May 15, 3:45 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.930, -85.980

Tornado, Hillsdale

When
May 15, 5:04 PM EST
Where
Hillsdale County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
41.720, -84.420

Hail, Macomb

When
May 15, 4:05 PM CST
Where
Macomb County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.580, -82.870

Tornado, Hillsdale

When
May 15, 5:06 PM EST
Where
Hillsdale County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
41.730, -84.430

Tornado, Lenawee

When
May 15, 5:19 PM EST
Where
Lenawee County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
41.880, -83.780

Hail, Wayne

When
May 15, 4:35 PM CST
Where
Wayne County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.320, -83.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Sanilac

When
May 15, 4:48 PM CST
Where
Sanilac County
Coordinates
43.430, -82.820

Hail, Oakland

When
May 15, 4:55 PM CST
Where
Oakland County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.450, -83.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Lenawee

When
May 15, 5:05 PM CST
Where
Lenawee County
Coordinates
41.720, -84.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Macomb

When
May 15, 5:55 PM CST
Where
Macomb County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.600, -82.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When
May 15, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Coordinates
41.900, -83.450

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1988Every state in 1988This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 1988Warnings in Michigan, May 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: 10051783, 10051784, 10051785, 10051786, 10051787, 10051788, 10051789, 10051790, 10051795, 10051791, 10051797, 10051798, 10051792, 10051793, 10051794, 10051796, 10051799, 10051800.