1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 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 21, 5:00 PM EST, 1 hour earlier.
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 600 PM EDT SUN APR 21 2002 SEVERAL LIGHTNING STRIKES EVIDENT ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN AND SOUTHWEST LOWER NOW. THIS ACTIVITY OCCURRING IN REGION OF ELEVATED INSTABILITY /750MB/ AND ALONG INSTABILITY GRADIENT. IN ADDITION...STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE COURTESY OF POTENT JET SLICING ACROSS MICHIGAN PROVIDING LIFT. THESE FEATURES TRACK ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN REGIONS OF CWA THIS EVENING...SO WILL UPDATE ZONES TO MENTION THUNDER THREAT. .DTX...NONE. OKEEFE
The Detroit radar (KDTX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:59 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck the cap off the top of a well and followed the well-line into the basement of a nearby home. The bolt blew out a hole in the basement wall.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 2002
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: 5284710.