Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 9, 2000

A strong cold front moved slowly south across southeast Michigan during the afternoon and evening of the 9th. Thunderstorms developed in the warm, humid air out ahead of the cold front. A number of these became severe, producing the worst severe thunderstorm outbreak in metro Detroit in almost two years. The thunderstorms took two forms on this day. Widely scattered supercells developed across southeast Michigan, south of Interstate 69. These rotating thunderstorms produced numerous funnel clouds, but no confirmed tornadoes. However, some of these storms produced very large hail. Hailstones as large as oranges were reported in Ypsilanti. The Detroit Tiger baseball game at Comerica Park was interrupted by golfball sized hail. The game was eventually rained/hailed out. Golfball sized hail was also reported in Tecumseh and Plymouth. Some sporadic wind damage also occurred with these storms, downing trees and power lines. However, the stronger winds were to come later.A line of thunderstorms developed in northern Illinois and Indiana, and moved northeast at almost 70 mph. This line of storms overtook the supercells as it moved into southeast Michigan, and produced widespread wind damage. Some of the most significant damage follows:In Lenawee County: A barn was destroyed in Hudson. Several vehicles were damaged by fallen trees in Morenci and Adrian. Blissfield experienced some of the worst damage: a mobile home was flipped, injuring the two occupants (one of whom had broken ribs and a punctured lung); another man suffered electrical injuries when a falling power line struck him; an RV was overturned; store signs were destroyed; a garage collapsed; several homes were damaged by fallen trees, including one landmark home heavily damaged; at a local ball field, a scoreboard was destroyed, a dugout deroofed, and metal bleachers tossed; and large steel grain bins were destroyed. A hangar at nearby Betz Airport collapsed, crushing an airplane. Two other hangars were damaged. In Sand Lake, a hay barn and a corral were blown down. Tecumseh was also hard hit: a storage structure at a lumber yard was destroyed; part of an inn was deroofed; and numerous homes and vehicles were damaged by fallen trees.Dozens of trees were downed in Monroe County. A spotter measured a 75 mph gust in Maybee, where a glass patio table was tossed from a porch to the back yard (without breaking!). A trailer was blown over at a Dundee construction site, where a large tree damaged a car, home, and shed when it fell. In Petersburg, a falling tree crushed an historic (over 150 year old) railroad depot.Wind damage was also widespread in Washtenaw County. In Milan, a garage was blown down, and eight vehicles were struck by falling trees. A grocery store in Ann Arbor had its front doors blown off. Ypsilanti was hardest hit: several hundred trees were downed, damaging a home, slicing a camper van in half, and crushing a garage and a car; a fire station was partially deroofed; and a church steeple was destroyed.In Wayne County: The west and southwest sides of the city of Detroit saw damage, with windows shattered, roofs peeled up, and chimneys knocked over. At the intersection of Tireman and Rangoon, a car was flipped, injuring the two occupants; a nearby factory was deroofed, with a 13 year old boy injured by flying debris. At Detroit Metro Airport, a 55 mph gust was measured; a Mesaba Airlines hangar was destroyed, and a plane inside was damaged. Power poles were broken in Flat Rock. In New Boston, store fronts were damaged, with many trees uprooted. At Mettetal Airport near Plymouth, a plane was flipped. Scores of trees were downed in Westland, damaging a truck and a home, and breaking windows. In Redford, a falling tree destroyed a swimming pool and damaged a garage. Woodhaven saw a garage destroyed and a second displaced; a warehouse roof was damaged; a home was deroofed; street signs were downed; and a wood board was embedded in the side of a house. A school in Livonia had its air conditioning units blown over, and the walls of a connecting corridor were displaced. Two homes in Dearborn were condemned after tree damage; another home was shifted off its foundation; a garage was destroyed; and a building was deroofed, with roofing debris damaging two nearby cars. An outbuilding was demolished by falling trees in Sumpter Township.Oakland County was the other county that saw widespread damage. A 64 mph wind gust occurred in White Lake. Winds to 70 mph deroofed a trailer home in Highland. In Milford, falling trees crushed a car and damaged a home. Farmington saw a garage damaged by a tree, and phone poles were snapped. In Novi, a trailer at a construction site was destroyed, with another trailer and a wall under construction sustaining damage; the air conditioning units on the roof of a business were ripped off. Power poles were snapped in Auburn Hills. Dozens of trees were downed in Pontiac, destroying a garage and damaging several homes. In Bloomfield Township, a trampoline was destroyed, and a home was damaged by a falling tree. Waterford saw an animal shelter destroyed, another damaged; over 150 trees were damaged; and a picnic pavilion was also damaged.Damage in the other counties was much less widespread, and was generally limited to tree limbs and power lines going down. All told, over 200,000 people lost power at some point, and thousands of insurance claims were filed over the coming weeks. Many schools were closed the next day due to damage or power outages; some schools and businesses did not reopen for several days.