Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 23, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 23, 2001
Start: 2001-04-23T15:30
End: 2001-04-23T18:25
Location: Michigan

April 23, 2001 · NWS GRR · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A few severe thunderstorms quickly developed during the late afternoon hours across south central lower Michigan, well out ahead of a cold front. The hardest hit area was Ingham county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 0
Property damage: $165,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 GRR wrote it up.

A few severe thunderstorms quickly developed during the late afternoon hours across south central lower Michigan, well out ahead of a cold front. The hardest hit area was Ingham county. 2 large dead trees were downed 4 miles east of Eaton Rapids, a tree was reported down on Francis road in Lansing township, and 3 trees were blown down onto homes in Lansing. A secondary line of severe thunderstorms developed during the evening hours, right along the cold front. Across Montcalm county, trees were reported down in Greenville, Stanton, and 3 miles east of Edmore. In Allegan county, power lines were downed on 124th Avenue, 1 mile west of Shelbyville. Several trees were also blown down in the city of Allegan. In Orangeville (Barry county), law enforcement officials reported that several trees were blown down. Finally, in Alaska (Kent county), local law enforcement officials reported trees down at the intersection of 68th street and Thornapple River Drive.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 2:40 PM EST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 2:40 PM EST, 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
340 PM EDT MON APR 23 2001

FORECAST PROBLEMS THROUGH FIRST 5 PERIODS INCLUDE POPS AND POTENTIAL
FOR BOTH STRONG CONVECTIVE AND NONCONVECTIVE WINDS THIS EVENING...AS
WELL AS TEMPS IN THE STRONG CAA TONIGHT/TUE AND HOW COLD THE MINS
WILL GET WED MORNING. FIRST BATCH OF PREFRONTAL SHOWERS AND TSRA
MOVING THROUGH GRR FA ATTM. ANOTHER AREA OF LINEAR CONVECTION OVER
NE ILLINOIS ABOUT TO ENTER SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN MOVING NE. DEW
POINTS STILL AROUND 60 ACROSS THE CWA...THOUGH THE RAIN HAS BROUGHT
TEMPS DOWN A FEW DEGREES.  MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST RAPID MIDLEVEL
DRYING THIS EVENING IN ADVANCE OF SFC COLD FRONT. THE ONLY REAL
FOCUS FOR SEVERE STORMS THIS EVENING WILL BE LOWER LEVEL LIFT ASSOC
WITH FRONT...AS MID-UPPER LEVEL LIFT IS RATHER WEAK. FRONT COMES
THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH STRONG CAA BEHIND FRONT MIXING DOWN
RATHER STRONG WINDS. LOOKING UPSTREAM THIS AFTERNOON BEHIND THE
FRONT OVER IOWA...SEE MANY AREAS GUSTING OVER 30 KTS. WILL MENTION
WINDY CONDITIONS THIS EVENING WITH GUSTS TO 40...JUST BELOW ADV
CRITERIA. TEMPS WILL TAKE A QUICK TUMBLE AS WELL...WITH
MID-AFTERNOON READINGS IN THE LOWER 40S SEEN ACROSS IOWA. OTHER
QUESTION IS FOR WRAP AROUND PRECIP LATER TONIGHT. DEEPEST MOISTURE
MOVES TO THE NORTH OF GRR CWA OVERNIGHT. ALTHOUGH SOME SPRINKLES MAY
BE ACROSS FAR NORTHERN CWA... WILL LEAVE OUT MENTION AT THIS POINT.

CAA CONTINUES INTO TUE MORNING WITH AXIS OF 850 THERMAL TROUGH
MOVING ACROSS DURING THE AFTERNOON. ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
PERSISTS THROUGH AFTERNOON TO PRODUCE A A GOOD CU DECK WHICH SHOULD
KEEP MAXES FROM RISING MUCH ABOVE 50. SFC RIDGING BUILDING IN TUE
NIGHT. SHOULD BE ENOUGH CLEARING TO ALLOW TEMPS TO DROP BELOW
FREEZING MOST PLACES. FWC TEMPS OF MID 20S IN LAN TUE NIGHT.

OSTUNO

EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION...
BASICALLY THROUGH THE EXTENDED...WILL CONTINUE TO FEATURE A WARMING
TREND.  MODELS SHOW WARM BUT DRY AIR ADVECTION DEVELOPING ON
THURSDAY...AND THEN CONTINUING INTO FRIDAY.  THE AVN TRENDED WARMER
THAN THE MRF FOR THE WEEKEND IN TERMS OF 850 MB TEMPERATURES...BUT
THE EUROPEAN SUGGESTS A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT DROPPING DOWN FROM THE
NORTH.  WILL KEEP CONTINUITY WITH THE PREVIOUS EXTENDED...AND
FEATURE THE WARMER TEMPERATURES.  IF THE EUROPEAN VERIFIES...MAY NOT
GET AS WARM AS CURRENTLY FORECAST.  WITH NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE
GULF...DEEP MOISTURE IS CUT OFF.  ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR SHOWERS WILL
BE BRIEF. WITHOUT ANY STRONG FOCUSING MECHANISMS AND A LACK OF
MOISTURE...WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY EXTENDED.

MJS

.GRR...NONE.

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ingham

When: April 23, 3:30 PM EST to 3:43 PM EST
Where: Ingham County, Countywide
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.600, -84.367

Thunderstorm Wind, Montcalm

When: April 23, 6:01 PM EST to 6:15 PM EST
Where: Montcalm County, Greenville
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 43.167, -85.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When: April 23, 6:08 PM EST to 6:22 PM EST
Where: Allegan County, Shelbyville
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.600, -85.633

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When: April 23, 6:21 PM EST
Where: Barry County, Orangeville
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.550, -85.517

Thunderstorm Wind, Kent

When: April 23, 6:25 PM EST
Where: Kent County, Alaska
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 42.850, -85.483

What these are

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, April 2001

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: 5238670, 5238671, 5238672, 5238673, 5238674.