Michigan, 2001

Drought in Michigan, July 1 to 31, 2001

July 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS DTX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

An upper level high pressure ridge dominated the weather pattern across southeast Michigan beginning late June and continuing through the month of July. This ridge prevented the development of widespread thunderstorms, and prevented rainfall from moving into the region from the west.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
None recorded
Crop damage
$150 million
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 high pressure ridge dominated the weather pattern across southeast Michigan beginning late June and continuing through the month of July. This ridge prevented the development of widespread thunderstorms, and prevented rainfall from moving into the region from the west. While there was occasional isolated thunderstorms, much of the region suffered a pronounced dry spell. The lack of rainfall put a hardship on the area's water supply and measures were taken to curb usage. This included prohibiting outdoor watering in many communities in Macomb, Washtenaw, Genesee, Oakland, and Wayne counties. During the five week period ending July 28th, Detroit Metro Airport officially reported only 0.32 inches of rainfall. This became Detroits 11th driest month on record. With 1.59 inches, this was Flint's 10th driest month on record. In contrast to July, April through early June saw slightly above normal precipitation. This wet spring delayed planting of crops and resulted in shallower than normal rooting systems for crops already established. By mid summer, however, the upper air pattern changed and rainfall waned. In terms of timing, the drought impacted many summer crops during moisture-sensitive growth stages of greatest water need, leading to moisture stress which peaked by mid August. It was estimated that yields of corn, dry beans and soybeans were 1/3 from normal. Rains returned to the region in mid and late August. Too late, however, to reverse the negative effects from mid summer. At the date of this publishing, an estimate dollar amount of damage to area crops is unknown.

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 Jun 30, 7:50 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 30, 7:50 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
850 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 2001

WILL UPDATE TO REMOVE EVENING WORDING. HARD TO RULE OUT ISOLATED
SHOWERS OR THUNDER AT ANY TIME...BUT LOOKS LIKE MOST OF CONVECTIVE
ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY ORGANIZE CLOSE TO COLD FRONT SWEEPING THROUGH
LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY...AS PER 18Z MESOETA OMEGA FIELDS.
WILL THUS CALL FOR CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS OVERNIGHT...BECOMINNG
NUMEROUS SHOWERS/STORMS AFTER AROUND 1 AM NORTH...2 AM CENTRAL...AND
3 AM SOUTH.

.DTX...GALE WARNING...VERY LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...LAKE HURON.

DWD

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 30, 9:22 PM EST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-011200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
1022 PM EDT SAT JUN 30 2001

...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN...

DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
OVERNIGHT...AND SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. THEREFORE...SPOTTER
ACTIVATION MAY BECOME NECESSARY.

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE LIKELY AS THE
NIGHT UNFOLDS...ALONG AND AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WILL
DROP SOUTHWARD OVER SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
STORMS WILL DEVELOP AFTER 1 AM ALONG AND NORTH OF A SAGINAW TO CARO
TO BAD AXE LINE...THEN SPREAD SOUTH...NOT REACHING AN ANN ARBOR TO
DETROIT LINE UNTIL AFTER 3 AM.

THUNDERSTORM MOVEMENT OVERNIGHT WILL BE TO THE EAST AROUND 25 MPH.
SOME STORMS COULD PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH AND HAIL AS LARGE AS
QUARTERS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA
OUTLET...FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT...INCLUDED ANY SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS.

DWD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Bay

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Bay forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.721, -83.942 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Genesee

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.022, -83.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Huron

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Huron forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.910, -82.855 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lapeer

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Lapeer forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.090, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lenawee

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Lenawee forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
41.895, -84.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Livingston

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.603, -83.911 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Macomb

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Macomb forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.673, -82.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Midland

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Midland forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.647, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Monroe

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
41.921, -83.494 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Oakland

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Oakland forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.660, -83.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Saginaw

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Saginaw forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.335, -84.053 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sanilac

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Sanilac forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.443, -82.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Shiawassee

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Shiawassee forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.954, -84.147 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, St. Clair

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
St. Clair forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.931, -82.664 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Tuscola

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Tuscola forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
43.491, -83.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Washtenaw

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST to July 31, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Washtenaw forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.253, -83.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wayne

When
July 1, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Crop damage
$150 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
42.285, -83.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, July 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: 5259006, 5259007, 5259008, 5259009, 5259010, 5259011, 5259012, 5259511, 5259512, 5259513, 5259514, 5259515, 5259516, 5259517, 5259518, 5259519, 5259520.