Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Michigan, July 21, 1998

A trained spotter measured a 60-mph wind gust with his local anemometer.

The Muskegon Chronicle reported lightning strikes caused 2 separate fires in the area and resulted in power outages affecting 7,500 people in the Muskegon service area. A house fire at 2862 Evanston Avenue in Muskegon Township was caused by a lightning strike. The fire burned the attic and damage was estimated at $40,000. Lightning was also the cause of a fire at an 18-unit storage building at Boxer Store and Lock in Egelston Township. The sheet metal and wood frame building and all of its contents were completely destroyed. A damage estimate for this fire was not available.

The Grand Rapids Press reported that a lightning strike at a Kentwood apartment building caused a fire that heavily damaged the building. Fire Chief Jim Carr said that the blaze was started by a lightning strike and caused more than $500,000 in structural damage to the complex. Six apartments, on the top floor of a building at Wingate Apartments on Schafer Avenue SE, were destroyed when the roof caved in and at least 10 more apartments were damaged. No injuries were reported. The thunderstorm knocked out electricity to about 15,000 homes in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, mostly caused by lightning strikes.

Lightning struck the roof of a three-bedroom home at 7836 Mooring Court in the Hidden Ridge Estate Complex in Georgetown Township at 6:10 am EDT. Most of the house was destroyed in the blaze touched off by the strike. No injuries were reported. A damage estimate was not available.

Trees and power lines were downed in Leroy Township near the intersection of Michigan Highway 66 and E Drive South and near 4-Mile Road and F Drive South. Power outages were reported in the Battle Creek area, where approximately 1,180 residential and business customers were affected. Most power loss was blamed on lightning strikes. Calhoun County Central Dispatch also reported several trees were downed in the eastern half of Calhoun County. No damage estimate was available.

The Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper reported tree limbs and power lines were downed across Jackson County. According to the Patriot, the Jackson County Road Commission reported tree limbs downed on Pulaski, Lansing, Sargent, and County Farm Roads, with most of the damage north of the city of Jackson in northern Jackson County. Approximately 1,500 homes lost power in the Jackson Area, including a section of N. West Avenue in the city. Damage estimates were not available.