Hail, Midland
- When
- May 7, 4:50 PM EST to 4:55 PM EST
- Where
- Midland County, Sanford
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.667, -84.383
Hail and Damaging Wind in Michigan, May 7, 2001
Temperatures rose well into the 70s, ahead of a cold front moving east across Wisconsin. Thunderstorms developed in western lower Michigan ahead of the front, along a lake breeze boundary from Lake Michigan.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
Temperatures rose well into the 70s, ahead of a cold front moving east across Wisconsin. Thunderstorms developed in western lower Michigan ahead of the front, along a lake breeze boundary from Lake Michigan. These storms organized into a line as they slowly moved east. Over Midland County, the line merged with isolated cells that had developed out ahead of it. When the merger occurred, the storms briefly intensified to severe levels.
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 May 7, 2:15 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 7, 2:15 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 315 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2001 COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN TONIGHT. NARROW BAND OF MOISTURE IS RUNNING OUT AHEAD OF OF THE FRONT ALONG WITH A LITTLE INSTABILITY AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. THE INSTABILITY WEAKENS FOLLOWING SUNSET... BUT THE CONVERGENCE AND MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE UNTIL FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE FRONT IS SCHEDULED TO PASS THROUGH THE WESTERN COUNTIES AROUND MIDNIGHT AND THE EASTERN COUNTIES BY SUNRISE. RAPID DRYING IS INDICATED BEHIND THE FRONT... SO THAT TUESDAY MORNING SHOULD BE MOSTLY SUNNY ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASES ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS COLD AIR ALOFT MOVES IN. 500MB TEMPERATURES DROP ABOUT 5 DEGREES DURING THE DAY. 850-700MB LAPSE RATES RISE TO NEAR 9 BY LATE IN THE DAY. THESE LAPSE RATES AND THE COLD AIR AT 500MB POINT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME INSTABILITY SHOWERS LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DRY AIR MOVES INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. SHOULD BE LOTS OF SUNSHINE ON WEDNESDAY WITH LIGHT WINDS. 12Z AVN IS SHOWING THE NEXT FRONT MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THURSDAY. THIS IS FASTER THAN THE PREVIOUS RUN. SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY IS INDICATED AHEAD THIS FRONT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION... 850MB DEWPOINTS RISE TO NEAR PLUS 8C AND GOOD LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE IS INDICATED. WILL ADD A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS TO ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THURSDAY. THE FRONT STALLS OUT A LITTLE THURSDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER WAVE MOVES NORTHEAST ALONG IT. THIS KEEPS THE FRONT ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AND ALL THE ABOVE PARAMETERS IN PLACE. WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS GOING FOR FRIDAY AND THEN GO DRY ACROSS THE AREA FOR SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. TEMPERATURES GENERALLY WITHIN A COUPLE DEGREES OF MAV VALUES. .DTX...NmONE. KEYES
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 7, 11:00 AM EST, 5 hours 50 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-080800- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 1200 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2001 ...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. WARM AND INCREASINGLY HUMID AIR WILL SPREAD INTO LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT OVER WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS. SUNSHINE OVER SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN WILL WARM THE TEMPERATURE INTO THE MID 70S AND GENERATE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA. SCATTERED STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AROUND 2 PM...THEN BECOME STRONGER AND MORE NUMEROUS AS THEY HEAD INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE AREA FROM THE TRI CITIES SOUTH THROUGH FLINT AND DETROIT. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN AS THE STORMS MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. HAIL AROUND 1 INCH IN DIAMETER WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE STORMS WILL TEND TO WEAKEN AS THEY HEAD INTO THE THUMB DURING THE LATE EVENING HOURS, BUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE WIND GUST OR HAIL REPORT CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN THAT AREA. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL LINGER AFTER MID4NIGHT, BUT THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER BY THEN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...TELEVISION... AND CABLE TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER WEATHER UPDATES. BT
Special weather statement, May 7, 1:20 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
MIZ047-048-053-060-061-068-075-082-072300- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 220 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2001 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 211 IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 211 IS IN EFFECT FOR PART OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN UNTIL 7 PM. SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN... MIDLAND... BAY... SAGINAW... SHIAWASSEE... GENESEE... LIVINGSTON... WASHTENAW... LENAWEE... AND INCLUDES THE COMMUNITIES OF MIDLAND... BAY CITY... SAGINAW... FLINT... ANN ARBOR... AND ADRIAN. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. THE LINE WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE AREA FROM THE TRI CITIES SOUTH THROUGH FLINT AND ANN ARBOR AS THE LINE ENTERS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AFTER 4 PM. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH... AND HAIL FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS FOR SEVERE WEATHER. THE STORMS WILL TEND TO WEAKEN AS THEY HEAD INTO THE THUMB DURING THE LATE EVENING HOURS...BUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE WIND GUST OR HAIL REPORT CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN THAT AREA. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL LINGER AFTER MIDNIGHT...BUT THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER BY THEN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...TELEVISION... AND CABLE TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER WEATHER UPDATES. BT
Special weather statement, May 7, 3:23 PM EST, 1 hour 27 minutes before
MIZ047-048-053-060-061-068-075-082-072300- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 423 PM EDT MON MAY 7 2001 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 211 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 211 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PART OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN UNTIL 7 PM. SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN... MIDLAND... BAY... SAGINAW... SHIAWASSEE... GENESEE... LIVINGSTON... WASHTENAW... LENAWEE... AND INCLUDES THE CITIES OF MIDLAND...BAY CITY...SAGINAW...FLINT... ANN ARBOR...AND ADRIAN. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. THE LINE WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE AREA FROM THE TRI CITIES SOUTH THROUGH FLINT AND ANN ARBOR AS THE LINE ENTERS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN BETWEEN 5 AND 7 PM. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH...AND HAIL FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS FOR SEVERE WEATHER. THE STORMS WILL TEND TO WEAKEN AS THEY HEAD INTO THE THUMB DURING THE LATE EVENING HOURS...BUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE WIND GUST OR HAIL REPORT CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN THAT AREA. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL LINGER INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...BUT THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER BY MIDNIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...TELEVISION... AND CABLE TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER WEATHER UPDATES. BT
The radar
The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:50 UTC.
Event by event
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Midland
- When
- May 7, 5:10 PM EST
- Where
- Midland County, Edenville
- Measured
- 2 in hail
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 43.800, -84.383
Thunderstorm Wind, Midland
- When
- May 7, 5:10 PM EST
- Where
- Midland County, Edenville
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 43.800, -84.383
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Heat in California, May 7 to 11, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 7, 2001
- Flash Flooding in U.S. Virgin Islands, May 7 to 8, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 7, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, May 7, 2001
- High Wind in North Dakota, May 7, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 7, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 7, 2001
- Funnel Clouds in Texas, May 7, 2001
- Heat in California, May 7 to 31, 2001
- Hail in Texas, May 7, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 7, 2001
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, May 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: 5245922, 5245923, 5245924.