Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Hbr Beach to Pt Sanilac Mi
- When
- May 31, 2:30 AM EST
- Where
- Hbr Beach to Pt Sanilac Mi marine zone, 3 mi S of Port Sanilac
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph)
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.400, -82.550
Marine Thunderstorm Winds and Waterspouts in Lake Huron, May 31, 2002
Thunderstorms developed across southern Lower Michigan ahead of a weak cold front. The storms moved into Lake Huron early in the morning of the 31st.
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
- 6
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.
Thunderstorms developed across southern Lower Michigan ahead of a weak cold front. The storms moved into Lake Huron early in the morning of the 31st. Some of these storms produced strong winds. A mariner reported seeing a waterspout off the coast of Lexington in southern Lake Huron.
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 30, 8:35 PM EST, 5 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 30, 8:35 PM EST, 5 hours 55 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 935 PM EDT THU MAY 30 2002 PREVIOUS UPDATE WAS INTENDED TO COVER THE LULL IN STORM ACTIVITY OVER SE MICHIGAN LATE THIS EVENING. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE IT OVER LAKE MICHIGAN AFTER FIRING WITH STRONG DAYTIME HEATING IN THE LOW LEVEL MOIST AXIS OVER WISCONSIN. THESE STILL APPEAR TO BE DIURNALLY DRIVEN AS THE MAIN UPPER FORCING IS STILL TO THE NORTHWEST. DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS THE LOW LEVEL MOIST AXIS WILL MOVE INTO LOWER MICHIGAN AS THE UPPER WAVE DRIVES THE PREFRONTAL TROF AND COLD FRONT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT LOOKS STRONG ENOUGH IN THE LATEST MODEL DATA TO MAINTAIN THE ONGOING CONVECTION OR GET ANOTHER ROUND GOING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AND INTO SE MICHIGAN. 850 TO 500 MB LAPSE RATES WILL BE AROUND 6.5 C/KM WITH 850 LI RUNNING NEAR -3C BY 06Z, AND THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE AN INCREASING WIND FIELD TO ORGANIZE SOME LONGER-LIVED CONVECTION. THE 18Z ETA SHOWS 0-3 KM SHEAR TO BE AROUND 30 M/S IN OUR AREA OVERNIGHT. WITH THE SLIGHT RISK AREA JUST TO OUR WEST, PLAN TO CONTINUE CALLING FOR STRONG STORMS AND HOLD OFF ON ANY SEVERE MENTION FOR NOW. PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE STRONG WIND GUSTS TRANSFERED TO THE SURFACE THROUGH A RELATIVELY WARM BOUNDARY LAYER. .DTX...NONE. BT
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 31, 12:40 AM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-311000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 140 AM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002 ...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. THREAT... NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...MAINLY NORTH OF I 69. A FEW STORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LIMITS...WITH DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. DISCUSSION... A WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS WILL LINGER OVER SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS WILL COMBINE WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING IN FROM WISCONSIN TO FUEL THUNDERSTORMS. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL TRACK SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH THROUGH THE AREA MAINLY NORTH OF I 69...INCLUDING THE TRI CITIES...FLINT...BAD AXE... AND PORT HURON. THE COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ANY REMAINING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR EAST SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED. OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER IN THE THUMB REGION AROUND SUNRISE. OTHERWISE...SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY SUNNY WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS...FOR THE LATEST FORECAST INFORMATION. YOU CAN ALSO OBTAIN THE LATEST FORECAST ONLINE AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX/ (ALL LOWER CASE) BT
Local storm report, May 31, 12:42 AM EST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC, MI
142 AM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0120 AM MONTROSE MI .88 INCH HAIL
05/31/02 GENESEE REPORTED BY SPOTTERS
ROKThe radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 marine thunderstorm wind, 2 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.
Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Lh Hbr Beach to Pt Sanilac 5nm Offshore to Intl Border
- When
- May 31, 2:30 AM EST
- Where
- Lh Hbr Beach to Pt Sanilac 5nm Offshore to Intl Border marine zone, 3 mi S of Port Sanilac
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph)
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.400, -82.550
Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Lh Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron 5nm Offshore to Intl Border
- When
- May 31, 2:30 AM EST
- Where
- Lh Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron 5nm Offshore to Intl Border marine zone, 3 mi S of Port Sanilac
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph)
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.400, -82.550
Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron Mi
- When
- May 31, 2:30 AM EST
- Where
- Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron Mi marine zone, 3 mi S of Port Sanilac
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph)
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.400, -82.550
Waterspout, Lh Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron 5nm Offshore to Intl Border
- When
- May 31, 5:35 AM EST
- Where
- Lh Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron 5nm Offshore to Intl Border marine zone, 4 mi E of Lexington
- Reported by
- MARINER
- Coordinates
- 43.267, -82.450
Waterspout, Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron Mi
- When
- May 31, 5:35 AM EST
- Where
- Pt Sanilac to Pt Huron Mi marine zone, 4 mi E of Lexington
- Reported by
- MARINER
- Coordinates
- 43.267, -82.450
What these are
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind
- Thunderstorm winds of 34 knots or more over coastal or lake waters.
- Waterspout
- A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 31, 2002
- Heat in Missouri, May 31, 2002
- Tornado in New York, May 31, 2002
- Rip Current in North Carolina, May 31, 2002
- Tornadoes and Hail in New York, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 31, 2002
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in New Hampshire, May 31, 2002
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Maine, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in California, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 31, 2002
- Hail in Iowa, May 31, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 31, 2002
More
Every storm in Lake Huron in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather history
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: 5298882, 5298883, 5298884, 5298885, 5298886, 5298887.