Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 14, 1997

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 14, 1997
Start: 1997-07-14T15:10
End: 1997-07-14T18:15
Location: Michigan

July 14, 1997 · NWS GRR · 29 events in 17 counties and zones

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: $159,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 29

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 GRR wrote it up.

A cold front moved east across Lake Michigan and Michigan's Lower Peninsula during the afternoon and evening hours of Monday, July 14, 1997. As this frontal boundary collided with the warm and unstable air mass across the state, strong to locally severe thunderstorms developed mainly across the southern two tier of counties. Isolated reports of hail to nickel-size and wind gusts to 70 mph were received. Downed trees and power lines cut power to approximately 48,000 Consumers Energy customers in southwest and south central Lower Michigan. No injuries were reported.

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

26 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When: July 14, 3:10 PM EST
Where: Van Buren County, Lawrence
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.220, -86.050

Van Buren County Central Dispatch reported large tree limbs and power lines downed in Lawrence.

Thunderstorm Wind, Berrien

When: July 14, 3:20 PM EST
Where: Berrien County, Buchanan
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 41.830, -86.370

Several trees and power lines were downed in Buchanan Township. Major tree damage was reported from 2 area golf courses, Orchard Hills and Brookwood. Orchard Hill was hit hardest and was closed through Tuesday, July 15, 1997, for clean up. The greens superintendent reported 25 trees downed by the winds. Brookwood Golf Course did not report as much damage, but had a significant number of trees downed, approximately 100, which ranged from 10 inches to 4 feet in diameter. No injuries were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Berrien

When: July 14, 3:45 PM EST
Where: Berrien County, Niles
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.830, -86.250

Niles Police Department reported trees downed in Niles.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When: July 14, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Allegan County, Shelbyville
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.600, -85.630

A weather spotter sent a report via internet of trees and power lines downed in Wayland Township, including the Shelbyville and Gun Lake areas. A felled tree blocked the intersection of 124th Avenue and Division Street.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When: July 14, 4:05 PM EST
Where: Allegan County, 2 mi NE of Martin
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.550, -85.600

Allegan County Central Dispatch reported downed trees blocked the intersection of 120th Avenue East and 10th Street near Martin.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When: July 14, 4:05 PM EST
Where: Allegan County, Wayland
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.680, -85.630

Trees and power lines were downed in Wayland.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When: July 14, 4:10 PM EST
Where: Allegan County, Otsego
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 42.470, -85.680

Allegan County Central Dispatch reported downed trees and power lines in Otsego Township. High winds brought down a large branch, crushing a car, in the 400 block of Kalamazoo Street in Otsego.

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When: July 14, 4:12 PM EST
Where: Barry County, Delton
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.500, -85.400

Barry County Central Dispatch reported large limbs knocked down in Delton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 14, 4:35 PM EST
Where: Cass County, Dowagiac
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.980, -86.100

Cass County Central Dispatch reported trees and power lines knocked down in the Dowagiac area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 14, 4:35 PM EST
Where: Cass County, Edwardsburg
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.800, -86.080

Cass Central Dispatch reported downed trees and power lines in the Edwardsburg area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When: July 14, 4:36 PM EST
Where: Barry County, Hastings
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.650, -85.280

Barry County Central Dispatch reported trees downed in Prarieville Township and the Hastings area.

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Joseph

When: July 14, 4:42 PM EST
Where: St. Joseph County, Centreville
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.920, -85.530

Trees were downed in Centreville, some of which fell across area roads.

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Joseph

When: July 14, 4:42 PM EST
Where: St. Joseph County, Three Rivers
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.930, -85.630

Trees downed in the Three Rivers area.

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Joseph

When: July 14, 4:42 PM EST
Where: St. Joseph County, 2 mi N of Sturgis
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.830, -85.420

Trees downed 2 miles north of Sturgis.

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: July 14, 4:49 PM EST
Where: Calhoun County, Sunrise Hgts
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.300, -85.150

A trained National Weather Service spotter reported 3" diameter tree limbs downed near Sunrise Heights.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kalamazoo

When: July 14, 5:09 PM EST
Where: Kalamazoo County, Vicksburg
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.120, -85.530

Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department reported a couple of trees were downed in Vicksburg.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kalamazoo

When: July 14, 5:09 PM EST
Where: Kalamazoo County, Oshtemo
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.270, -85.680

Trees downed in Oshtemo Township.

Thunderstorm Wind, Eaton

When: July 14, 5:10 PM EST
Where: Eaton County, County-Wide
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.600, -84.880

Scattered reports of trees and power lines down across Eaton County.

Hail, Ionia

When: July 14, 5:20 PM EST
Where: Ionia County, Smyrna
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.050, -85.270

Hail, Calhoun

When: July 14, 5:25 PM EST
Where: Calhoun County, Burlington
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.100, -85.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: July 14, 5:46 PM EST
Where: Clinton County, St Johns
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.000, -84.570

Downed trees and power lines in and around St. Johns.

Thunderstorm Wind, Branch

When: July 14, 5:47 PM EST
Where: Branch County, County-Wide
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.920, -85.070

Scattered reports of trees and power lines down across portions of western Branch County.

Hail, Jackson

When: July 14, 5:50 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, 4 mi SE of Springport
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 42.350, -84.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: July 14, 5:50 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, 4 mi SE of Springport
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.350, -84.630

Jackson County officials reported a 70 mph wind gust and nickel-sized hail 4 miles southeast of Springport in Springport and Parma Townships. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down in the mostly rural area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montcalm

When: July 14, 5:55 PM EST
Where: Montcalm County, 2 mi S of Sheridan
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.180, -85.070

Trees downed across the intersection of Michigan Highway 57 and Michigan Highway 66 in Bushnell Township.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: July 14, 5:59 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, Rives Junction
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.380, -84.470

Jackson County officials reported a 60 mph wind gust in Rives Junction in Rives Township in north central Jackson County. Downed trees were also reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale

When: July 14, 6:00 PM EST
Where: Hillsdale County, 2 mi W of Hillsdale
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.920, -84.650

Hillsdale County Emergency Operations reported a couple of trees downed 2 miles west of Hillsdale.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gratiot

When: July 14, 6:15 PM EST
Where: Gratiot County, St Louis
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.420, -84.600

Gratiot County Central Dispatch reported several trees and power lines were downed in and around St. Louis. Some city streets were closed due to felled trees and limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ingham

When: July 14, 6:15 PM EST
Where: Ingham County, Stockbridge
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.450, -84.180

Trees were downed in Stockbridge and one local road was temporarily blocked from downed limbs.

What these are

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.
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

Every storm in Michigan in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, July 1997

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: 5617837, 5616437, 5616438, 5616439, 5616440, 5616441, 5616442, 5616443, 5616444, 5616445, 5616446, 5616551, 5616552, 5616553, 5616554, 5616555, 5616556, 5616557, 5616558, 5616559, 5616560, 5616561, 5616562, 5616563, 5616564, 5616565, 5616566, 5616567, 5616568.