Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Detroit River
- When
- March 9, 4:00 PM EST
- Where
- Detroit River marine zone, 3 mi NW of Belle Isle
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.283, -83.050
Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Lake St. Clair, March 9, 2002
A strong cold front moved across Southeast Michigan late in the afternoon on the 9th. A line of showers (not producing lightning) developed along the cold front and produced winds of 50 knots over Lake St Clair and the St Clair and Detroit Rivers.
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
- 4
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.
A strong cold front moved across Southeast Michigan late in the afternoon on the 9th. A line of showers (not producing lightning) developed along the cold front and produced winds of 50 knots over Lake St Clair and the St Clair and Detroit Rivers.
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 Mar 9, 12:20 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 12:20 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
1220 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002
POTENT STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO /BOMB/ OUT THIS AFTERNOON AS IT
TRACKS INTO ONTARIO. WILL MAINTAIN CURRENT WARNINGS FOR WIND FROM
LATE AFTERNOON INTO EVENING. CURRENTLY SEEING 40 TO 45 KNOT
SUSTAINED WINDS ACROSS IL/IN ASSOCIATED WITH STRONG ISENTROPIC
DESCENT...NICELY DEPICTED ON WATER VAPOR LOOP. AS LOW INTENSIFIES
THIS AFTERNOON...SO TOO WILL LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD. FOR EXAMPLE...
CURRENT IL/IN WINDS GUSTS OBSERVED IN REGION OF 50 TO 55 KNOT 850MB
WINDS. MESOETA INDICATES WINDS TO PICK UP TO 60 KNOTS PLUS AT 850MB
ACROSS CWA BY 00Z WITH RISING INVERSION HEIGHTS. CURRENT HIGH WIND
WARNING OBVIOUSLY ON TRACK.
AS FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL...IT REMAINS MARGINAL...BUT POSSIBLE.
DYNAMICS WITH THE SYSTEM ARE POTENT...IMPRESSIVE JET ACCOMPANYING
FRONT WITH IMPRESSIVE COUPLET 250/850MB...STRONG FGEN FORCING...
IMPRESSIVE LOW CONVERGENCE ALL POINT TO PLENTY OF DYNAMICS TO FUEL
THE SEVERE THREAT. HOWEVER...INSTABILITY WILL BE NEAR NIL NORTH OF I
94...BUT SLIGHTLY BETTER SOUTH WHERE MID AFTERNOON CAPES WILL BE IN
THE 300 TO 500 J/KG RANGE. NOT MUCH...BUT THESE IMPRESSIVE DYNAMICAL
SYSTEMS DO NOT REQUIRE MUCH. WILL CALL FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WITH BEST
CHANCE SOUTH OF I 94...BETWEEN 2 PM AND 5 PM. MAIN THREAT WILL BE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH.
.DTX...HIGH WIND WARNING...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
ALL OF SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN.
STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...TODAY...LAKE HURON
AND LAKE ST CLAIR.
OKEEFEIn the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 12:00 PM EST, 4 hours before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-100000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 1200 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. THREAT... A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON AND BE EAST OF THE REGION BY EARLY EVENING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF I 94 AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I 94 THIS AFTERNOON WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER TO ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. DISCUSSION... STRONG LOW PRESSURE OVER THE UPPER PENINSULA WILL DEEPEN FURTHER THIS AFTERNOON AS IT TRACKS INTO ONTARIO. THE LOW WILL PROPEL A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. POWERFUL WINDS ALOFT...THE IMPRESSIVE ENERGY OF THE SYSTEM...AND WARM MOIST AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL FUEL THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF I 94 AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I 94. A SLIGHT THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXIST BETWEEN 2 PM AND 5 PM WITH WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH THE MAIN THREAT. ALTHOUGH THE SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN...THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER ALONG AND SOUTH OF I 94 WHERE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL BE MORE CONDUCIVE TO THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR LATER FORECAST UPDATES. YOU CAN ALSO OBTAIN THE LATEST FORECAST ONLINE AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX/ (ALL LOWER CASE) OUTLOOK FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... NO ADDITIONAL WEATHER HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED. OKEEFE
Special weather statement, Mar 9, 1:55 PM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-100000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 155 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 19 IS IN EFFECT FOR A PORTION OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN UNTIL 7 PM EST... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. THREAT... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PART OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE LIVINGSTON...OAKLAND... MACOMB...ST CLAIR...WASHTENAW...WAYNE...LENAWEE AND MONROE. SOME COMMUNITIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE HOWELL...PONTIAC...WARREN...PORT HURON...ANN ARBOR...DETROIT...ADRIAN AND MONROE. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR IN THE WATCH AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE. WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON AND BE EAST OF THE REGION BY EARLY EVENING. THIS COLD FRONT WILL BRING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE WATCH AREA. DISCUSSION... STRONG LOW PRESSURE OVER LAKE SUPERIOR WILL DEEPEN FURTHER THIS AFTERNOON AS IT TRACKS INTO ONTARIO. THE LOW WILL PROPEL A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. POWERFUL WINDS ALOFT...THE IMPRESSIVE ENERGY OF THE SYSTEM...AND WARM MOIST AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL FUEL THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTH OF M 59. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR LATER FORECAST UPDATES. YOU CAN ALSO OBTAIN THE LATEST FORECAST ONLINE AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX/ (ALL LOWER CASE) OUTLOOK FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... NO ADDITIONAL WEATHER HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED. OKEEFE
The radar
The Detroit radar (KDTX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:57 UTC.
Event by event
4 marine thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Lake St Clair (U.S. Portion)
- When
- March 9, 4:10 PM EST
- Where
- Lake St Clair (U.S. Portion) marine zone, 3 mi W of Metropolitan Beach
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.467, -82.883
Marine Thunderstorm Wind, St Clair River
- When
- March 9, 4:15 PM EST
- Where
- St Clair River marine zone, Port Huron
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.983, -82.417
Marine Thunderstorm Wind, St Clair River
- When
- March 9, 4:17 PM EST
- Where
- St Clair River marine zone, Port Huron
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.983, -82.417
What these are
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind
- Thunderstorm winds of 34 knots or more over coastal or lake waters.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Illinois, March 9, 2002
- High Wind in Ohio, March 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in Ohio, March 9, 2002
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 9, 2002
- High Wind in Iowa, March 9, 2002
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, March 9, 2002
- Damaging Wind and High Wind in New York, March 9, 2002
- High Wind in Michigan, March 9 to 10, 2002
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Pennsylvania, March 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in Michigan, March 9, 2002
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Ohio, March 9, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, March 9, 2002
More
Every storm in Lake St. Clair 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: 5281917, 5281918, 5281919, 5281920.