Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front shortly after midnight on the 19th.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 DTX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front shortly after midnight on the 19th.
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 Apr 18, 9:24 PM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 1024 PM EDT THU APR 18 2002 ZONES WILL BE UPDATED SHORTLY TO REFRESH WORDING AND FINE TUNE TIMING A BIT FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. WITH EVENING CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY MOVING MUCH MORE NORTHEAST THAN EAST...BELIEVE FAR SOUTH WILL NOT SEE ANY THREAT UNTIL AFTER 2 AM. .DTX...NONE. DWD
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-190500- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 757 PM EDT THU APR 18 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #116 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EDT... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. THREAT... THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 AM EDT FRIDAY MORNING. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... MIDLAND...BAY...SAGINAW...SHIAWASSEE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF MIDLAND...BAY CITY...SAGINAW AND OWOSSO. THIS WATCH ALSO INCLUDES THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF THE AFFECTED LAKESHORE COUNTIES. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF WIND GUSTS OF AT LEAST 60 MPH ALONG WITH DIME SIZED HAIL. IF YOU LIVE IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA...YOU SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. DISCUSSION... A WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS IS IN PLACE ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES TONIGHT...THUNDERSTORMS WELL AHEAD OF THE FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO REACH TOWARD THE TRI CITIES AROUND 9 PM AND NEAR OWOSSO AROUND 10 PM. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIND GUSTS NEAR 70 MPH AND ONE INCH SIZE HAIL. SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET...FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. FORECAST INFORMATION FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAN BE REACHED ONLINE AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX BGM
The Detroit radar (KDTX), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:19 UTC.
2 marine thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Lake Huron in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather history
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: 5284708, 5284709.