Michigan, 1996

Hail in Michigan, September 11, 1996

September 11, 1996 · NWS DTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong late-summer cold front swept across lower Michigan during the late afternoon on the 11th, accompanied by an outbreak of severe thunderstorms. The most damage was done in Sanilac county, where a severe wind and hail storm cut a 2 mile wide path through the towns of Decker, Snover, Sandusky and Port Sanilac.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

A strong late-summer cold front swept across lower Michigan during the late afternoon on the 11th, accompanied by an outbreak of severe thunderstorms. The most damage was done in Sanilac county, where a severe wind and hail storm cut a 2 mile wide path through the towns of Decker, Snover, Sandusky and Port Sanilac. Six inches of hail accumulated at Decker and Snover, with 3 inches at Sandusky. The hail and wind did extensive damage to crops. A car dealership west of Sandusky reported that hail had damaged 95 percent of the cars on his lot. Large hail was also reported in Tuscola county, and in Huron county, where a roof was severely damaged. Farther south, strong thunderstorm winds downed powerlines in Tecumseh (Lenawee county) and toppled large trees in Carleton (Monroe county).

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Huron

When
September 11, 5:50 PM EST
Where
Huron County, Parisville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.720, -82.800

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, September 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: 5565709.