Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, July 13, 1995

Thunderstorm winds to 61 kts (70 mph) were reported at Backus, and several trees were blown down 10 miles north of Pine River.

Winds blew a dock away.

Trees blown down on cars.

Trees down with gusts to 70 MPH.

Many trees down with a funnel sighted.

Many trees down along M-38 and M-64 in Ontonagon and Houghton Counties.

News stand blown away.

Numerous trees down.

Auto accident as a result of trees down on road.

Trees down with power outages.

A flagpole was bent when a large potted plant blew away.

Gales with three funnel clouds sighted over Lake Superior.

Trees down east of Foster City

Trees down across roads.

Winds gust to 58 mph.

Winds gust to 67 MPH.

Measured wind gust of 67 mph. Numerous trees down in and around Curtis.

Numerous trees down.

Numerous trees were uprooted or blown down due to high thunderstorm winds from Harrison to Meredith in north central and northeast Clare County.

Estimated winds of greater than 60 mph. Big trees down.

Unconfirmed tornado reported by public.

Sixty mph gusts at Mackinaw City prompted the closure of the Macinac Bridge. Before all vehicles could be cleared from the bridge, building truses were blown from a flat bed truck that was on the bridge. On the south side of the bridge in Mackinac City, a travel trailer was blown over.

Over 100 trees in Brevort Lake Campground fell over tents and campers.

Trees were downed by the wind in a small area of northeastern Grand Traverse County. The area extended from six miles east of Traverse City to Williamsburg.

Trees and power lines were downed along the west shore of the county between Northport and Glen Haven.

Trailer tipped over on bridge by wind.

Numerous trees and some power lines were downed by the wind between Bellaire and Alden.

Numerous trees and power lines were downed by the wind, blocking many roads and creating power outages that lasted for nearly two days.

Numerous trees and power lines were downed by the wind, blocking many roads and creating power outages that lasted for nearly two days.

Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees along Elba Road.

A 10-inch-diameter poplar tree was uprooted by strong thunderstorm winds.

Thunderstorm winds brought down a power line and a five inch diameter tree on Old Elba Road.

Numerous trees and power lines were downed from strong thunderstorm winds. There was also a grass fire ignited from a lightning strike just east of Interstate 75 in Waters.

Strong thunderstorm winds damaged a 60' X 60' tent set up for an entertainment event, causing and estimated $25 thousand to $30 thousand in damage to light and sound equipment inside the tent. Thunderstorm winds also caused minor damage to the roof of the Community Education Building in Gaylord.

Trees and power lines were downed along a path from two miles south of Cedar, through Fouch and Bingham, to Suttons Bay.

Thunderstorm winds destroyed a dock and damaged a boat on the northeast corner of Otsego Lake.

Numerous trees and power lines were brought down by strong thunderstorm winds around Pickerel Lake.

Numerous trees were downed and power outages occurred along U.S, 131, from four miles north of Kalkaska to South Boardman.

Many trees and a few power lines were downed in an area between Alba and Antrim.

Golf ball-size hail was reported along Lake Margrethe.

Large tree limbs were knocked down from thunderstorm winds, blocking Douglas Lake Road.

A spotter reported that 50 mph winds blew down numerous nine inch trees.

A spotter reported one-inch-diameter hail.

Numerous trees and power lines were brought down by strong thunderstorm winds, some of which damaged houses and vehicles on the way down.

A spotter reported hail one-inch-diameter, along with wind gusts to 60 mph which downed power lines. A possible funnel cloud was also reported.

Lightning struck a tree which fell and killed a 68-year-old man near East Lake at Spencer. Numerous trees and power lines were downed by the wind creating power outages that lasted over two days.

Lightning struck a tree which fell and killed a 68-year-old man near East Lake at Spencer. Numerous trees and power lines were downed by the wind creating power outages that lasted over two days.

A few trees and large limbs were blown down along M42 northwest of Lake City.

Numerous trees were downed by strong thunderstorm winds over and around County Route 612.

Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and power lines across Beaver Creek Township, blocking a few roadways.

Several large trees and some power lines were reported blown down by the wind in and around the Cadillac area.

Numerous trees and power lines were downed from thunderstorm winds along and over Stephan Bridge Road.

Thunderstorm winds did widespread tree damage across all but extreme southeast Roscommon County, with well over 100,000 trees down. Most of the trees brought down were the largest and healthiest, as they had the highest tops and heaviest foliage. Widespread damage to residences, cottages, garages, vehicles was caused by falling trees, while the winds damaged and destroyed docks and boats on the lee shores of all county lakes. Consumers Power Company estimated over 100 miles of phone and power lines down in the county and electrical service remained out to thousands of homes and cottages for periods ranging from a few days to over a week. Average wind gusts in most areas were estimated in the 65 to 80 mph range which is consistent with the reports from the Lyon Twp supervisor using a calibrated anemometer. Near catastrophic damage was done by unusually intense microbursts in three areas, where wind gusts were estimated in the 85 to 100 mph range: the Flag Point area (worst localized damage) on the east shore of Higgins Lake, Comfort and Detroit Points, on the west shore of Higgins Lake, and the communities of Artesia Beach and St. Helen, along the south and southeast shores of Lake St.Helen. An 11-year old female, accompanied by four other family members, was killed when the pontoon boat she was in flipped while returning to its dock; she became trapped under the craft and rescue efforts were delayed by blocked roads in the area. (F11O) A man and wife, riding ORV trails east of the community of St. Helen, were stranded by trees brought down by thunderstorm winds. Subsequently, the man suffered a heart attack. Because of the blocked trails, the wife was forced to walk several miles to a local cottage to obtain assistance. Rescue efforts were hampered by hundreds of downed trees blocking trails, and local residents assisted with chain saws to get the EMT vehicle back to the husband, who was dead when they arrived. (M46O)

A spotter on the northwest corner of Higgins Lake reported a wind gust of 62 mph with the passage of an intense gust front. Thunderstorm winds brought down numerous trees and a few power lines in the area.

Hundreds of trees were snapped off or uprooted across the county by thunderstorm winds. Most damage occurred along two lines, one extending from the St. Helen area (in Roscommon County) southeast to near the intersection of M-30 and Greenwood Road, with the second extending from Clear Lake southeast across the county fairgrounds and Lake Ogemaw, nine miles east-southeast of West Branch, to near Skidway Lake. Damage to property was not nearly as extensive nor pronounced. There were a few reports of roof damage due to falling trees. Trees also fell on and damaged a few vehicles, including a sport utility vehicle and tractor seven miles northwest of West Branch. Numerous wheat fields along the primary storm tracks were partially flattened by the strong downburst winds.

Power lines were downed by the wind.

A small tornado, occurring almost simultaneously with damaging thunderstorm straight-line winds, touched down at the Ogemaw County Fairgrounds (nine miles east of West Branch), where several thousand motorcycle enthusiasts were camped for a rally. One man was injured by a falling tree. The tornado, occasionally lifting to the tree top level, continued southeast and dissipated shortly after crossing the southeast shore of Lake Ogemaw. Several hundred trees, many of which up to 30 inches in diameter, were brought down, with secondary damage done to homes, cottages, and vehicles where trees fell on them. Several docks were destroyed and boats damaged around Lake Ogemaw.

A spotter reported six to eight inch tree limbs downed by thunderstorm winds.

Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and power line between Skeels and Gladwin in the northwest and central portion of the county.

Spotter reported numerous power lines and trees downed by thunderstorm winds.

Spotter reported wind gusts to 60 mph, resulting in downed trees and power lines in Black River.

Several large trees were blown down in a small area along M115 northwest of Marion.

Spotter reported three to six inch diameter limbs downed by thunderstorm winds.

Strong thunderstorm winds brought down numerous trees and power lines across the southeast portion of Clare County, causing widespread power outages.

Two canoeists on the Rifle River were injured from falling tree limbs that were tornoff from strong thunderstorm winds.

A skywarn spotter reported a weak tornado dropping to the treetop level along Cook Road, just north of Greenwood Road. No injuries or significant damage were reported.

Spotters reported two-foot-diameter trees down, in addition to power lines. Some vehicles were damaged by the falling trees.

A tornado was reported by a volunteer fireman near Alger. The tornado created a path five miles long near Forest Lake. Hundreds of trees, some several feet in diameter were uprooted. An estimated 40 to 50 homes were damaged along with several vehicles.

A spotter reported trees and power lines knocked down over an estimated 40 acres. The trees ranged in diameter from six to eight inches. In addition, some injuries were reported by emergency services directors.

A spotter reported trees knocked down over an estimated three block area near Lake Huron. The trees ranged between two and three feet in diameter.

Spotter reported 14 to 15-inch-diameter trees down in addition to power outages.

Wind damage to trees.

Golf ball-size hail was reported near the intersection of M-33 and M-55.

Numerous reports of tree damage and powerlines downed by straight line winds. One home had windows blown out. Reported by Isabella County Dispatch.

Numerous reports of tree damage and powerlines downed by straight line winds including the towns of Alma, Ashley, Breckenridge, Ithaca, and St. Louis.

Trees damaged.

A powerfull line of thunderstorms swept across southeast Michigan from northwest to southeast late in the afternoon on the 13th. An 18-year-old man was killed near Harbor Beach in Huron County when a barn that he was working in collapsed. A 50-year-old man suffered a broken leg when a tree limb fell on him near Croswell, in Sanilac County. The strong winds produced widespread power outages. Detroit Edison reported that 410,000 customers lost power in southeast Michigan due to the storm, which was the highest total for any storm since July, 1991. In addition, the winds produced widespread damage to trees and man-made structures. A State Farm Insurance Agent estimated that total damage claims of over $2 million would be filed. AAA Michigan expected to recieve claims from homeowners of over $3 million. The United States Coast Guard received dozens of distress calls as the storms moved across lakes Huron, Saint Clair and Erie, but no injuries or deaths were reported. (M18BU).