Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 18 to 19, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 18 to 19, 2002
Start: 2002-04-18T22:00
End: 2002-04-19T01:50
Location: Michigan

April 18 to 19, 2002 · NWS DTX · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

A cold front moved across the Great Lakes region during the morning of the 19th. Thunderstorms moved into southeast Michigan ahead of the cold front shortly after midnight.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 cold front moved across the Great Lakes region during the morning of the 19th. Thunderstorms moved into southeast Michigan ahead of the cold front shortly after midnight. A few of these storms produced damaging winds and large hail. The cold front broke a week-long period of record or near record high temperatures across the region.

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 Apr 18, 9:24 PM EST, 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 18, 9:24 PM EST, 36 minutes before

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 18, 6:57 PM EST, 3 hours 3 minutes before

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 radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 123 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Midland

When: April 18, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Midland County, Coleman
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.750, -84.583

Thunderstorm Wind, Bay

When: April 18, 11:25 PM EST
Where: Bay County, 2 mi SW of Bay City
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.583, -83.917

A trained weather spotter reported an estimated wind gust to 60 MPH at the intersection of I-75 and M84.

Thunderstorm Wind, Saginaw

When: April 18, 11:30 PM EST
Where: Saginaw County, Saginaw
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.417, -83.967

Law enforcement reported that several trees were blown down and a few road signs were bent over in the city.

Thunderstorm Wind, Saginaw

When: April 18, 11:35 PM EST
Where: Saginaw County, 5 mi SE of Saginaw
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.367, -83.900

A 61 MPH wind gust was measured at Saginaw's Harry Browne Airport.

Hail, Genesee

When: April 19, 12:25 AM EST
Where: Genesee County, Flint
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.033, -83.683

Hail, Midland

When: April 19, 12:31 AM EST
Where: Midland County, 10 mi W of Midland
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.617, -84.433

Hail, Midland

When: April 19, 12:46 AM EST
Where: Midland County, Midland
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.617, -84.233

Hail, Midland

When: April 19, 12:52 AM EST
Where: Midland County, 8 mi W of Midland
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.617, -84.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Lapeer

When: April 19, 12:55 AM EST
Where: Lapeer County, 3 mi N of Lapeer
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.100, -83.317

Law enforcement reported a large tree blown over.

Thunderstorm Wind, Genesee

When: April 19, 12:59 AM EST
Where: Genesee County, Flushing
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.067, -83.833

Law Enforcement reported large tree limbs blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lapeer

When: April 19, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Lapeer County, Hadley
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.950, -83.400

Law Enforcement reported several small trees blown down.

Hail, Tuscola

When: April 19, 1:30 AM EST
Where: Tuscola County, Millington
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.283, -83.533

Hail, Genesee

When: April 19, 1:50 AM EST
Where: Genesee County, 1 mi S of Otisville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.150, -83.517

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

Every storm in Michigan in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, April 2002

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: 5284612, 5284699, 5284700, 5284701, 5284702, 5284703, 5284697, 5284704, 5284707, 5284696, 5284698, 5284705, 5284706.