Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 14, 2000

A weak cold front moved through southeast Michigan on July 13th, ushering in slightly cooler and less humid air. However, thanks to a strong upper level disturbance, temperatures aloft cooled off much more quickly. This cold air aloft, combined with ample heating from sunshine on the 14th, resulted in an unstable atmosphere. Thunderstorms developed explosively early in the afternoon, and many became severe.Large hail was the predominant severe weather type on this day. The strongest storm of the day was a supercell that moved south along the Lake Huron lake breeze boundary. This storm developed near Port Sanilac, and moved through Port Huron before exiting the area near Algonac. Golfball sized hail was reported near Lexington and Port Huron with this storm. Hailstones as large as baseballs crashed down on Algonac, damaging cars and roofs, ripping gutters off of homes, denting air conditioning units, and breaking windows. The force of impact when these hailstones landed in Algonac canals propelled water 5 feet into the air. Several other storms produced large hail, though none as large as in Algonac. Golfball sized hail also fell in metro Flint, as well as near Hartland. Dime, nickel, and quarter sized hail was quite common.Wind damage was not as widespread, though a few very strong gusts occurred. Numerous trees were downed between Gratiot and Court Streets in Saginaw, damaging vehicles, fences, and outbuildings. A few trees were also downed by severe thunderstorm winds in Millington and Gagetown. Near the end of the episode, a severe thunderstorm produced estimated 80 mph winds near Gaines. Several agricultural outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed.