The storm that brought thunderstorms to Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 5th also produced strong west winds across the Upper Peninsula later that night and early on the 6th. There were numerous reports of trees and branches blown down and power outages, especially over the exposed Keweenaw Peninsula.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS MQT wrote it up.
The storm that brought thunderstorms to Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 5th also produced strong west winds across the Upper Peninsula later that night and early on the 6th. There were numerous reports of trees and branches blown down and power outages, especially over the exposed Keweenaw Peninsula. Storm force winds were reported on Lake Superior with the Stannard Rock lighthouse in south central Lake Superior reporting a gust to 72 knots.
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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 5, 10:06 PM EST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
1006 PM EST WED DEC 5 2001
MAIN FCST CONCERN IS STRONG WINDS TONIGHT.
WV IMAGERY SHOWS SHRTWVS OVR NRN MN BEGINNING TO COME INTO PHASE
WITH VIGOROUS SHRTWV MOVG UP FM NW WI. AT THE SFC...988 MB LOW OVER
SW ONTARIO CONTINUING TO DEEPEN AS IT MOVES NE. 18Z AND 00Z MODELS
SHOW SFC LOW DEEPENING TO AROUND 975 MB OVER JAMES BAY BY 12Z. ASSOC
WARM FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS SRN ONTARIO WHILE THE COLD FRONT WAS MOVG
INTO THE CNTRL U.P. A SOMEWHAT BENIGN-LOOKING LINE OF SHWRS AHD OF
THE SHRTWV/CDFNT BROUGHT DOWN STRONG WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH
OVER NE WI...WHILE A COOP OBSERVER AT BARK RIVER RECORDED A WIND
GUST TO 71 MPH. THESE SHOWERS WILL EXIT EAST OF THE FA IN THE NEXT
HOUR.
NOT HARD TO BELIEVE THE STG WIND GUSTS FM SHRA GIVEN 00Z GRB SNDG
SHOWING 70 KT WINDS FM 900-700 MB LVL. NON-CONVECTIVE WIND GUSTS
WILL ALSO BE A CONTINUING CONCERN INTO THE ERY OVRNGT HRS AS WINDS
BEHIND THE CDFNT HAVE GUSTED TO 44 MPH AT IWD AND 48 MPH AT MQT AND
50 MPH AT CMX. CONTRIBUTING TO STG WIND GUSTS IS A NUMBER OF
FACTORS...WELL-DEFINED DRY SLOT MOVG INTO WRN U.P. IN PATH OF
INCOMING SHRTWV TRACK...STG DVM OF 5-6 MICROBARS AND 290K ISENTROPIC
DESCENT...STRENGTHENING SFC LOW AND STG 3 HR PRES RISES OF 8 MB
UPSTREAM OVR WI. BEST THREAT FOR CONTINUED HIGH WINDS LOOKS TO BE
TIL 09Z AT WHICH TIME SFC GRAD BEGINS TO SLACKEN WITH DEPARTING
LOW.
THUS...CURRENT HEADLINES FOR HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES STILL
LOOK GOOD...WL JUST FRESHEN WORDING IN ZFP.
.MQT...HIGH WIND WRNG TONIGHT MIZ001>003.
HIGH WIND ADVY TONIGHT MIZ004-005-009.
STORM WRNG LK SUPERIOR.
VOSSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ASOS at KCMX reported a peak gust of 66 mph.
A large spruce tree was blown down in Phoenix.
Numerous trees and power lines down around Ewen and Trout Creek.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, December 2001
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: 5275536, 5275537, 5275538.