High Wind, St. Clair
- When
- April 20, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- St. Clair forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.931, -82.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Michigan, April 20, 1996
High winds accompanied a cold front across southeast Michigan during the afternoon on the 20th. A peak wind gust of 58 mph was reported at Ann Arbor, and 52 mph at Pontiac.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $61,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS DTX wrote it up.
High winds accompanied a cold front across southeast Michigan during the afternoon on the 20th. A peak wind gust of 58 mph was reported at Ann Arbor, and 52 mph at Pontiac. At the University of Michigan, part of the roof of the Yost Ice Arena was ripped loose by the high winds. A cinder block wall was toppled by the wind in Pontiac, crushing the hoods of six parked cars. At the Oakland County International Airport, a parked plane was flipped upside down. In Lake Orion, a 3500 pound canvas roof was blown off of an indoor golf dome. Downed powerlines resulted in power outages for a total of 30000 Detroit Edison customers.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Oakland
- When
- April 20, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Oakland forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Macomb
- When
- April 20, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Macomb forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Washtenaw
- When
- April 20, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washtenaw forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wayne
- When
- April 20, 2:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, April 20, 1996
- Tornado in Kentucky, April 20, 1996
- Tornado in Tennessee, April 20, 1996
- Tornado in Kentucky, April 20, 1996
- Tornado in Indiana, April 20, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, April 20, 1996
- Tornado in Indiana, April 20, 1996
- Tornadoes in Tennessee, April 20, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 20, 1996
- Tornado in Kentucky, April 20, 1996
- Flood in Michigan, April 20 to 27, 1996
- Tornado in Indiana, April 20, 1996
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 1996
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: 5548765, 5548766, 5548767, 5548768, 5548769.