A F2 tornado struck eastern Ingham county. m.
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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 episode as NWS GRR wrote it up.
A F2 tornado struck eastern Ingham county. The tornado touched down just east of the intersection of Columbia and Kendrick Roads at 7:55 p.m. EST. It moved east and intensified. The tornado began a turn to the northeast as it approached Haywood Road just north of Columbia. When it crossed Haywood Road the tornado was about a half a mile wide. It continued to intensify as it moved northeast and was at it's strongest as it crossed Risch Road just north of Howell Road. As the tornado crossed Dennis Road just east of House Road it turned sharply to the north. The tornado lifted at 9:10 p.m., just as it was moving into Livingston county. The tornadoe's path length was 4.5 miles long and it was up to 1/2 mile wide. It was on the ground for 15 minutes and was rated as a lower F2 on the Fujita scale, which corresponds to winds of approximately 120 m.p.h. A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Ingham county at 7:29 p.m. EST and that was upgraded to a tornado warning at 7:46 p.m. EST. Two homes were destroyed. One house collapsed and trapped two individuals inside, who suffered minor injuries. At another location a house was damaged and a barn leveled. A pickup truck was blown off the road.
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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 21, 3:57 PM EST, 2 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 440 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003 THE COLD FRONT ACROSS EASTERN WISCONSIN WILL PUSH STEADILY EASTWARD THROUGH SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. A CAP HAS KEPT THE CONVECTION TO A MINIMUM ACROSS THE REGION...BUT IT HAS ALSO ALLOWED THE HEAT TO BUILD UP...WITH HEAT INDICES AROUND 100 DEGREES FOR MANY LOCATIONS. WILL KEEP THE HEAT ADVISORY UP FOR A COUPLE OF MORE HOURS. FEEL THAT WITH THE HEAT BUILDING AND THE FRONT PUSHING IN THAT A FEW STORMS WILL DEVELOP HERE IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. WITH LIFTED INDICES OF -10 DEG C AND KGRR VAD WIND PROFILER SHOWING 40 KNOT WESTERLY WINDS AT 7000 FEET...ANY STORMS THAT DO FORM COULD TURN SEVERE. WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE OF STORMS IN THE FORECAST UNTIL THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH. MUCH DRIER AIR ARRIVES LATER TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE FRONT...BRINGING IN A MUCH MORE STABLE AIRMASS. CONSIDERING HOW WARM LAKE MICHIGAN IS AND THE COOLER AIR COMING ACROSS THE LAKE...SOME LAKE CLOUDS COULD DEVELOP. WAVES SHOULD ALSO CONTINUE TO BE FAIRLY HIGH FOR AT LEAST PART OF THE DAY AS WINDS WILL BE FROM THE NORTH...SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST BY EVENING. THIS FAIR WEATHER SYSTEM WILL STAY WITH US INTO SUNDAY. MJS EXTENDED FORECAST A BROAD UPR RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY WILL FLATTEN A BIT AS A SHORT WAVE MOVES EAST ACROSS SRN CANADA. ON MONDAY WELL SEE A WARM FRONT PUSH NORTHEAST THRU THE CWA EARLY IN THE DAY AND A COLD FRONT MOVING THRU THE UPR MS VALLEY AND INTO NW LWR BY LATE IN THE DAY. WILL GO WITH CHC POPS MONDAY THRU TUE AM. LATEST GFS RUN IS A BIT QUICKER WITH THE FRONTAL MOVEMENT THAN PREVIOUS RUNS. DOESNT LOOK LIKE THE FRONT WILL SLIP TOO FAR SOUTH OF THE CWA AND WILL IN FACT RETURN NORTH EARLY THURSDAY...DRAWN NORTH BY A WAVE ON THE FRONT MOVING EAST. WILL MENTION THE CHC OF TSRA ON THURSDAY TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. EXPECT THE FRONT TO MOVE SOUTH OF THE FCST AREA THU NIGHT. MUCH DRIER AIR WILL CLEAR SKIES LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. 93 .GRR...HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR MUCH OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.
MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-221015- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1215 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN FROM MID AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS OF TODAY...AS A MODERATE COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THE HOT AND HUMID AIRMASS CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN. THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS DAMAGING WINDS WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 70 MPH IN THE STRONGEST STORMS. ISOLATED REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...AS IS AN ISOLATED TORNADO. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP OVER EASTERN WISCONSIN EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND SPREAD INTO SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. IT IS THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAS THE BEST CHANCE OF HAVING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE TO THE EAST AROUND 35 MPH. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE SOUTH AND EAST OF LANSING...BY 700 PM AND OUT OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN BY 1000 PM. BESIDE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER... TEMPERATURES RISING TO THE LOWER 90S AND DEWPOINTS RISING INTO THE LOWER 70S WILL CAUSE THE HEAT INDEX TO RISE TO NEAR 100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT....IN LOCATIONS SOUTH AND EAST OF GRAND RAPIDS FOR A FEW HOURS THIS AFTERNOON. WAVES OF 3 TO 6 FEET THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT ON LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AS YET ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE AREA. RELATIVELY COLDER AIR MOVING ACROSS THE WARM WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN WILL CREATE WAVES OF 3 TO 5 FEET ALONG THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MJS WDM
MIZ037>040-043>046-212300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
136 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS
OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM EDT
THURSDAY EVENING. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
MASON...LAKE...OCEANA AND NEWAYGO
IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN
OSCEOLA...CLARE...ISABELLA AND MECOSTA
THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF AFFECTED
LAKESHORE COUNTIES.
A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. 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 THE
LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
MJSMIZ037>040-043>046-212315-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
659 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003
THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST
QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN HAS EXPIRED. THE WATCH IS NO LONGER
IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
MASON...LAKE...OCEANA AND NEWAYGO
IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN
OSCEOLA...CLARE...ISABELLA AND MECOSTA
THIS WATCH INCLUDED THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF AFFECTED
LAKESHORE COUNTIES.
MJSThe Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:15 UTC.
4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Seven eighths inch diameter hail was reported three miles southeast of Grand Ledge.
One inch diameter hail was reported in East Lansing and three quarters inch hail was observed in Lansing.
Numerous reports of large hail were received from across Ingham county, including reports of one inch hail in East Lansing, two miles east of East Lansing, and six miles northeast of Mason. A report of one inch hail was also received from three miles east of Mason. One and one half inch diameter hail was reported in Dansville and three miles east of Mason. One inch hail was also reported in Webberville.
A F2 tornado struck eastern Ingham county, causing two injuries. It also destroyed two homes.
A report of three quarters inch diameter hail was received from five miles northwest of Charlotte.
Several trees were blown down in Keeler and also in Lawton.
A report from Marshall indicated that several trees were blown down.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Schoolcraft.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 2003Warnings in Michigan, August 2003
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: 5369487, 5369488, 5369489, 5368382, 5369490, 5368379, 5368380, 5368381.