Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, August 12, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, August 12, 2002
Start: 2002-08-12T15:55
End: 2002-08-12T16:02
Location: Michigan

August 12, 2002 · NWS DTX · 4 events in 1 county or zone

Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early in the evening ahead of a trough of low pressure. One of these storms in Lenawee county produced severe wind gusts and large hail.

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: 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.

Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early in the evening ahead of a trough of low pressure. One of these storms in Lenawee county produced severe wind gusts and large hail.

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 Aug 12, 2:25 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 2:25 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
325 PM EDT MON AUG 12 2002

ANOTHER WARM DAY TOMORROW.

A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. 18Z LAPS DATA SHOWING CAPES AROUND 2500
J/KG ACROSS THE WESTERN PART OF THE CWA. WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING
THROUGH WESTERN LAKE ERIE HELPING TO TRIGGER MORE WIDESPREAD
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS OHIO. WILL PUT SLIGHT CHANCE IN FOR MOST OF THE
CWA THROUGH EARLY EVENING...EXCEPT SCATTERED WORDING ACROSS THE
SOUTHEAST PART OF THE CWA.

UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE
NORTHEAST...MOVING INTO HUDSON BAY TOMORROW.
COLD FRONT OVER THE PLAINS WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE SLOWLY EAST. AVN
CONTINUES TO DEVELOP A STRONG WAVE ALONG THE FRONT ON TUESDAY. THE
FRONT SHOULD BE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
WITH THE SLOW TIMING OF THE FRONT...LOOKS LIKE THE DETROIT METRO
AREA MAY STAY DRY THE WHOLE DAY. WILL FOLLOW THE ETA MOS GUIDANCE
POPS. TOUGH FORECAST WITH RESPECT TO MAX TEMPS. 850 TEMPS WILL BE
AROUND 18C. THUS...ANY DECENT AMOUNT OF SUN AND TEMPS WILL HIT 90
DEGREES ONCE AGAIN. ETA SHOWING SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASING TO AROUND
40 KTS BETWEEN 8000-10000 FEET (NEAR MBS). WILL HAVE TO WATCH OUT
FOR DAMAGING WINDS WITH SOME OF THE STORMS.

MID LEVEL FLOW WILL BECOME PARALLEL WITH THE FRONT AS THE TROUGH IN
THE PLAINS SHARPENS. COLD FRONT/TROUGH BECOMES NEARLY STATIONARY
OVER THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WILL CONTINUE WITH SCATTERED
WORDING ON WEDNESDAY AS THE FRONT REMAINS OVERHEAD. WITH CLOUDS AND
SHOWERS...EXPECTING TEMPS TO RISE ONLY ABOUT 10 DEGREES OFF THE LOWS.

12Z ETA/AVN SHOWING WEAK SURFACE CONVERGENCE/QG FRONTOGENESIS
SLIDING EAST OF THE CWA BY LATE IN THE DAY. THUS...WILL KEEP
WEDNESDAY NIGHT DRY AND BRING IN SOME PARTIAL CLEARING.

RIDGING BUILDS BACK INTO THE REGION ON THURSDAY. 110+ KT JET
STRETCHED ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN/MANITOBA. THIS JET
WILL HEAD OFF INTO CENTRAL ONTARIO THURSDAY NIGHT. FRONTAL BOUNDARY
WELL NORTH OF CWA...ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. WILL
REMOVE THE MENTION OF PRECIP.

.EXTENDED...
LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE EXTENDED...THUS JUST MINOR CHANGES TO THE
PREVIOUS FORECAST.
LARGE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IN EASTERN PACIFIC (47.50N 136.50W) EXPECTED
TO SLOWLY BREAK DOWN THROUGH THE PERIOD. MRF/CANADIAN ENSEMBLES
INDICATING A BROAD TROUGH DEVELOPING ACROSS BRITISH
COLUMBIA...EXTENDING SOUTH ALONG THE WEST COAST. MANY QUESTIONS
CONCERNING THE AMPLITUDE AND EXACT POSITION OF THIS TROUGH...AS WELL
AS THE CORRESPONDING HEIGHTS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS. NEW 12Z AVN
DEVELOPS A CUT OFF LOW OFF THE PACIFIC COAST ON FRIDAY. 12Z AVN ALSO
SHOWING A DECENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS
SATURDAY MORNING. WILL KEEP THE FORECAST DRY...AS THIS SYSTEM HEADS
INTO ONTARIO...MUCH LIKE THE PREVIOUS ONES.
BOTTOMLINE...
FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN...WILL GENERALLY CALL FOR TEMPS SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL DURING THE WEEKEND...AS HEIGHTS REMAIN FAIRLY HIGH (PER
ENSEMBLES).

.DTX...NONE.

SF

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:53 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lenawee

When: August 12, 3:55 PM EST
Where: Lenawee County, Adrian
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.900, -84.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Lenawee

When: August 12, 3:55 PM EST
Where: Lenawee County, Adrian
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.900, -84.033

Hail, Lenawee

When: August 12, 4:02 PM EST
Where: Lenawee County, Adrian
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.900, -84.033

Thunderstorm Wind, Lenawee

When: August 12, 4:02 PM EST
Where: Lenawee County, Adrian
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.900, -84.033

Trained spotters and law enforcement reported that a thunderstorm produced severe hail and damaging winds, blowing down several trees and power lines.

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, August 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: 5309797, 5309798, 5309799, 5309800.