Tornado and Hail in Michigan, September 3, 1988

Name: Tornado and Hail in Michigan, September 3, 1988
Start: 1988-09-03T14:15
End: 1988-09-03T18:00
Location: Michigan

September 3, 1988 · NWS ARB · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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

3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Alpena

When: September 3, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Alpena County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 45.170, -83.580

Hail, Ottawa

When: September 3, 2:58 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.030, -85.830

Hail, Berrien

When: September 3, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Berrien County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.180, -86.250

Hail, Berrien

When: September 3, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Berrien County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.950, -86.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Ionia

When: September 3, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Ionia County
Coordinates: 42.930, -85.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: September 3, 5:03 PM CST
Where: Cass County
Coordinates: 42.020, -86.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Berrien

When: September 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Berrien County
Coordinates: 41.880, -86.250

What these are

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.
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.

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, September 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: 10055182, 10055183, 10055184, 10055185, 10055186, 10055187, 10055188.