Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, July 28 to 29, 2000

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, July 28 to 29, 2000
Start: 2000-07-28T14:35
End: 2000-07-29T00:30
Location: Michigan

July 28 to 29, 2000 · NWS DTX · 17 events in 9 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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.

An upper level low pressure system was entrenched in the western Great Lakes, maintaining cool air aloft across the region. Thunderstorms developed in the heat of the day, with the most widespread activity developing along the Lake Michigan lake breeze boundary in western lower Michigan. These storms organized as they moved slowly but steadily eastward, evolving into a squall line that crossed southeast Michigan in the late afternoon and early evening hours.Several of the thunderstorms became severe. Only a couple of storms produced damaging wind; large hail was the most common type of severe weather. An isolated storm ahead of the squall line produced silver dollar sized hail in Shelby Township (Macomb County); this was the largest hail report of the day. The same storm downed trees in that area. Trees were also downed in Bancroft due to severe thunderstorm winds. The rest of the severe weather was composed of dime to quarter sized hail events.For some parts of southeast Michigan - particularly metro Detroit - this was the third straight day of thunderstorm activity. As mentioned above, the storms tended to move slowly, and thus dumped very heavy rain. Macomb County had seen another batch of storms earlier on the 28th; rainfall totals in the central part of county were as high as five and a half inches. Another nearly stationary cluster of storms produced 4 to 5 inches of rain near Saline and Milan. Runoff from these downpours produced flash flooding across parts of the area.Interstate 94 was closed near Chelsea due to flooding. Many streets in and around Saline flooded, and the Saline River rose out of its banks. Urban flooding was widespread in Detroit, with many freeways closed, and some industrial facilities flooded. In Novi, a stranded family was rescued by a boat after their car stalled in flood waters. Davison Lake Road in Lapeer County was washed out south of Metamora, while water was several feet deep across roads in Almont and Imlay City. In Almont, the flood waters approached the front doors of homes and businesses.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 hail, 5 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Macomb

When: July 28, 2:35 PM EST
Where: Macomb County, 3 mi N of Utica
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.700, -83.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Macomb

When: July 28, 2:35 PM EST
Where: Macomb County, 3 mi N of Utica
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $6,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.700, -83.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Shiawassee

When: July 28, 3:30 PM EST
Where: Shiawassee County, Bancroft
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.883, -84.067

Hail, Washtenaw

When: July 28, 3:40 PM EST
Where: Washtenaw County, Saline
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.167, -83.767

Hail, Washtenaw

When: July 28, 3:56 PM EST
Where: Washtenaw County, Saline
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.167, -83.767

Hail, Livingston

When: July 28, 3:59 PM EST
Where: Livingston County, Fowlerville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 42.667, -84.067

Hail, Lenawee

When: July 28, 4:20 PM EST
Where: Lenawee County, Clinton
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.067, -83.967

Flash Flood, Washtenaw

When: July 28, 4:36 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Washtenaw County, 4 mi W of Chelsea
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, St. Clair

When: July 28, 5:21 PM EST
Where: St. Clair County, Yale
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.133, -82.783

Hail, Wayne

When: July 28, 5:25 PM EST
Where: Wayne County, Livonia
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.383, -83.367

Hail, Oakland

When: July 28, 5:42 PM EST to 5:51 PM EST
Where: Oakland County, Birmingham
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.550, -83.217

Hail, Lapeer

When: July 28, 6:21 PM EST to 6:27 PM EST
Where: Lapeer County, Almont
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.917, -83.033

Flash Flood, Oakland

When: July 28, 6:25 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where: Oakland County, Novi
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Wayne

When: July 28, 6:30 PM EST to July 29, 12:30 AM EST
Where: Wayne County, Detroit
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lapeer

When: July 28, 6:35 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where: Lapeer County, Metamora
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Macomb

When: July 28, 7:05 PM EST
Where: Macomb County, 1 mi S of Romeo
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A lightning strike started a fire that destroyed an automall.

Flash Flood, Macomb

When: July 28, 7:10 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where: Macomb County, Countywide
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 2000 Every state in 2000 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, July 2000

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: 5163829, 5163830, 5163831, 5163832, 5163833, 5163834, 5163835, 5163841, 5163838, 5163836, 5163837, 5163839, 5163844, 5163842, 5163845, 5163840, 5163843.