Michigan, 1998

Hail and Lightning Strike in Michigan, May 6, 1998

May 6, 1998 · NWS GRR · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

3 hail, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:53 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Ottawa

When
May 6, 12:44 PM EST
Where
Ottawa County, Jamestown
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Muskegon Chronicle reported Collin Zackrison, a 34 year-old male, was critically injured when he was struck by lightning at Spring Grove Park near Jamestown, in southeastern Ottawa County. The Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Department employee suffered severe leg and chest injuries.

Hail, Kent

When
May 6, 1:55 PM EST
Where
Kent County, Edgerton
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
43.200, -85.470

Local broadcast media relayed reports of 1-inch diameter hail near Rockford in northern Kent County.

Hail, Clare

When
May 6, 2:37 PM EST
Where
Clare County, Harrison
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.020, -84.800

Hail, Ottawa

When
May 6, 8:45 PM EST
Where
Ottawa County, Ferrysburg
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
43.080, -86.220

Local broadcast media relayed a report of 1-inch hail in Ferrysburg which broke a few windows of a local resident's home.

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, May 1998

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: 5654683, 5654684, 5654685, 5654686.