High Wind, Washtenaw
- When
- February 9, 7:00 PM EST to February 10, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Washtenaw forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Michigan, February 9 to 10, 2001
Strong winds moved into southeast Michigan just behind a cold front, as a potent low pressure system moved east from Ontario into Quebec. Winds gusted to 45 mph, resulting in branches and power lines downed in Pittsfield Township and in the city of Monroe.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $18,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Strong winds moved into southeast Michigan just behind a cold front, as a potent low pressure system moved east from Ontario into Quebec. Winds gusted to 45 mph, resulting in branches and power lines downed in Pittsfield Township and in the city of Monroe. Over 2000 utility customers lost power, including over half of downtown Monroe.
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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:21 PM EST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:21 PM EST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
321 PM EST FRI FEB 9 2001
STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS
EVENING... AND SHOULD BE EXITING THE STATE SHORTLY AFTER 00Z.
TEMPERATURES DROP INTO THE MID 30S WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS OF FRONTAL
PASSAGE AND THEN CONTINUE TO FALL SLOWLY. BOTH MAV AND FWC
TEMPERATURES DO NOT APPEAR TO PICK UP ON THE BIG DROP BEHIND THE
FRONT AND FORECASTED TEMPERATURES FOR THIS EVENING WILL BE ADJUSTED
DOWNWARD ACCORDINGLY.
PLUME OF MOISTURE CAN BE SEEN ON THE WATER VAPOR CURVE RUNNING FROM
LOWER MICHIGAN SOUTHWEST PAST THE TIP OF BAJA. A SHORT WAVE RUNNING
NORTHEAST THROUGH THIS PLUME WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD RAIN ACROSS
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING AND THEN AS THE TEMPERATURES ALOFT
COOL THE RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW SHOWERS AND THEN END.
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA FROM MIDLAND/BAY CITY/SAGINAW
AREA OVER TO THE TIP OF THE THUMB MAY SEE AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW
ACCUMULATE AS THEY WILL BE IN THE COLDER AIR WHILE THE DEEPER
MOISTURE IS MOVING THROUGH. REST OF THE AREA SHOULD JUST SEE AN INCH
OR LESS. LOWER LAYER COOLS OFF SO FAST THAT THERE WILL BE A BRIEF
PERIOD THIS EVENING WHEN IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR SOME SLEET TO FALL.
WINDS WILL BE PICKING UP BEHIND THE FRONT AND THIS WILL HELP DROP
WIND CHILL VALUES TO BELOW ZERO THIS EVENING OVER ALL LARGE PORTION
OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.
WE RETURN TO A MORE TYPICAL FEBRUARY DAY ON SATURDAY WITH LAKE
EFFECT SNOW OVER WESTERN LOWER AND JUST FLURRIES IN SOUTHEAST
MICHIGAN. QUITE A BIT OF MOISTURE WILL REMAIN BELOW THE INVERSION
UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN THE INVERSION LOWERS AND THE LOWER LEVELS
BEGIN TO DRY OUT. WILL HAVE PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS DEVELOPING
SATURDAY NIGHT.
MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW AN INCREASE IN UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE DURING THE
DAY SUNDAY. THE COMBINATION OF RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND THE
INCREASING UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD GIVE PARTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS
TO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.
FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST...
AN ACTIVE PERIOD WITH A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVING ACROSS
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN EVERY 30 TO 48 HOURS. BOTH MRF AND ETA-XX SHOW
MOST OF THE MOISTURE STAYING NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. BOTH OF
THESE MODELS DO SHOW A LITTLE MOISTURE POOLING ALONG EACH SURFACE
FRONT AS IT MOVES THROUGH SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. BOUNDARY LAYER COLD
ENOUGH FOR SNOW WITH THE FIRST WEAK FRONT ON MONDAY. 1000-850MB
THICKNESS RISES ABOVE 1300M ON TUESDAY JUST AHEAD OF THE NEXT WEAK
FRONT AND THUS IT LOOKS LIKE A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW FOR TUESDAY.
NEXT BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO COME THROUGH SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN FRIDAY
AFTERNOON OR EVENING. BOUNDARY LAYER REMAINS COLD ENOUGH TO JUST
SNOW WITH 1000-850MB THICKNESSES BELOW 1300M.
.DTX...GALE WARNING LAKE HURON...THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING AND
TONIGHT.
GALE WARNING LAKE ST CLAIR...TONIGHT.
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY ENTIRE CWA
UNTIL 6 PM.
KEYESIn the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 9, 2:05 PM EST, 4 hours 55 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-100000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 205 PM EST FRI FEB 9 2001 ...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 69. ONE OR TWO OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE AND SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY. TO THE NORTH...AROUND FLINT...THE TRI CITIES...AND THUMB...THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT HAS ENDED AS COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE AREA. IN ADDITION TO THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT...HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. DRAINAGE WILL BE POOR IN THOSE AREAS WHERE SNOW STILL COVERS OPENINGS TO STORM SEWERS. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STRETCHES OF WATER OVER ROADWAYS...ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS. LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK NORTHEAST ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN TODAY... PULLING A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...WITH THE GREATEST THREAT FOR A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN 2 AND 6 PM SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 69. THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE WIND GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH AS THE STORMS MOVE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT THE SAME SPEED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO... TELEVISION...OR CABLE TELEVISION STATION...FOR ALL OF YOUR WEATHER INFORMATION. TILLEY/OKEEFE
Special weather statement, Feb 9, 5:05 PM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-100000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 505 PM EST FRI FEB 9 2001 ...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING. THEREFORE SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HEAVY RAIN EARLIER TODAY...IN ADDITION TO SNOW MELT AND MORE RAIN EXPECTED WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS THIS EVENING. DRAINAGE WILL BE POOR IN THOSE AREAS WHERE SNOW STILL COVERS OPENINGS TO STORM SEWERS. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STRETCHES OF WATER OVER ROADWAYS...ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS. A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING CHANGING THE RAIN TO SNOW...AND CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DROPS IN TEMPERATURES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO... TELEVISION...OR CABLE TELEVISION STATION...FOR ALL OF YOUR WEATHER INFORMATION. STRUBLE
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Monroe
- When
- February 9, 7:00 PM EST to February 10, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Rip Current in Florida, February 9, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, February 9, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Michigan, February 9 to 12, 2001
- High Wind in Ohio, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Flooding in Wisconsin, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Flood in Michigan, February 9 to 14, 2001
- Winter Weather in Vermont, February 9, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, February 9, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, February 9, 2001
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Flash Flooding in New York, February 9 to 10, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, February 9, 2001
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, February 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: 5234265, 5234266.