5 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 26, 3:36 AM EST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 437 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003 TIMING PCPN CHCS IN AND OUT OF THE CWA OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS WAS THE MAIN CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM. FAST UPPER FLOW AND STRONG INSTABILITY WILL BE THE MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. ONGOING MORNING CONVECTION OVER WEST CENTRAL LOWER MI/LAKE MICHIGAN CONTINUE TO SHOW INDICATIONS OF BACK BUILDING. THIS AREA SHOULD LAST INTO THE DAYTIME HOURS BEFORE DYING OFF MID TO LATE MORNING. ADDITIONAL CONVECTION WAS OCCURRING OVER SOUTHERN WI/NORTHERN IL. THE COLDEST CLOUD TOPS WITH THIS COMPLEX WAS OVER NORTHERN IL WITH THE BEST LOW LEVEL JET. BELIEVE THE BULK OF THIS CONVECTION WILL ONLY CLIP THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE CWA AS IT BEGINS TO DRIFT SOUTHEAST. THERE SHOULD BE A LULL IN THE ACTION AROUND MID DAY AS THE MORNING CONVECTION DIES OFF AND BEFORE THE INSTABILITY BEGINS TO BUILD. ONCE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON A SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL RUN INTO A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. THE MODELS HAVE SLOWED THIS BOUNDARY DOWN AND IT NOW APPEARS IT WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE CWA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THIS WILL ALLOW DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 70S TO ADVECT INTO THE CWA AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THIS WILL PUSH CAPE VALUES ABOVE 3000 J/KG AND LI/S OF -8C. THE INSTABILITY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A MID LEVEL JET STREAK... INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG WINDS. HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS THE STORMS REGENERATE QUICKLY DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES. GIVEN THE THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE THROUGH THE DAY WILL CARRY CHC POPS ACROSS THE CWA...BUT WILL MENTION SEVERE POTENTIAL. TEMPS OF 85 TO 90 WILL BE COMMONPLACE THIS AFTERNOON PRIOR TO THE FRONT APPROACHING. THE FRONT WILL SLIP SOUTH OF THE CWA OVERNIGHT. WILL CONTINUE CHC POPS IN THE SOUTHERN HALF AS STORMS EXIT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL CANADA WILL BRING IN COOLER AND LESS HUMID AIR BY LATE TONIGHT. LOWS SHOULD DIP INTO THE 60 TO 65 DEGREE RANGE. THE CANADIAN HIGH WILL FORCE THE FRONT SOUTH INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON WEDNESDAY. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A QUIET DAY THAT SHOULD CONTINUE OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY. TEMPS WILL BE CLOSER TO SEASONAL NORMS...HIGHS IN THE 70S AND LOWS AROUND 50. RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS EARLY THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST IN THE FAST FLOW. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PUSH TEMPS BACK INTO THE 80S. MODEL TRENDS ARE A BIT SLOWER WITH THE FRONT SO WILL PULL THE MENTION OF PCPN FOR THE DAYTIME HOURS. ONCE AGAIN THIS FRONT WILL BE MOVING INTO A VERY UNSTABLE REGIME THURSDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN SHORT WAVE IS PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS THE U.P. OVERNIGHT. SO WILL HAVE THE BEST CHC FOR PCPN ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA...WITH MORE SCATTERED CONVECTION EXPECTED FURTHER SOUTH. OVERNIGHT TEMPS WILL BE IN THE MILD 60S. JK EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION... GFS HAS CONTINUED THE TREND OF BRINGING THE FRONT BACK NORTH INTO THE WEEKEND. MENTIONED SOME SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS THE TREND HAS BEEN THERE NOW FOR A COUPLE OF RUNS. THE FRONT LIFTS INTO INDIANA AND OHIO...WITH FAIRLY DEEP MOISTURE RETURNING TO SOUTHERN LOWER MI. THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK STILL LOOKS TO BE AN EARLY TASTE OF FALL...AS 850MB TEMPS ARE PROGD TO DROP TO +10 C ON SAT...+7 ON SUNDAY AND EVEN COOLER INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. DUKE .GRR...NONE.
MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-261000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 213 PM EDT MON AUG 25 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD FORM THIS AFTERNOON AND NUMEROUS STORMS ARE FORECASTED FOR TONIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PLACED THE ENTIRE AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL BE THIS EVENING AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH THROUGH THE AREA AND THEN AGAIN OVERNIGHT AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE STRONGEST OF STORMS...MOST LIKELY TONIGHT...WILL BE CAPABLE OF WINDS TO 60 MPH AND HAIL TO AROUND AN INCH IN DIAMETER. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES AND HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORMS. WHERE THE STORMS PERSIST LONGER THAN AN HOUR...MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN COULD FALL. THIS WOULD LEAD TO URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FRAME FOR THIS TO OCCUR IS AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE AREA IS ALSO IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON TUESDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL PROGRESS THROUGH THE AREA INTO A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS. STRONG STORMS COULD BE ONGOING TO START THE DAY. DURING THE AFTERNOON...ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED. THESE STORMS COULD ALSO CONTAIN WINDS TO 60 MPH AND HAIL TO AROUND AN INCH IN DIAMETER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING OR TONIGHT. RJD MJS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
1148 PM EDT MON AUG 25 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1108 PM 7 S BATTLE CREEK MI TORNADO
08/25/03 CALHOUN TORNADO AT 8 MILE ROAD AND
D DRIVE
JKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
0122 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1130 PM 10 SW JACKSON MI WIND DAMAGE
08/25/03 JACKSON NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN
HANOVER TOWNSHIP
1108 PM 7 S BATTLE CREEK MI TORNADO
08/25/03 CALHOUN TORNADO REPORTED ON THE
GROUND AT 8 MILE AND D
DRIVE BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT. TIME ESTIMATED.
1100 PM 5 S MARSHALL MI WIND DAMAGE
08/25/03 CALHOUN NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER
LINES DOWN OVER ROADS IN
THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE
COUNTY FROM CERESCO TO
HOMER. DAMAGE ESTIMATED TO
HAVE OCCURED BETWEEN 1050
PM AND 1115 PM.
MEADE JKThe Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:55 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees and power lines were blown down by severe thunderstorm wind gusts in Zeeland.
Numerous 5 to 6 inch diameter tree limbs were blown down across Jamestown.
A report from Dorr indicated that several trees were blown down in that area.
Several trees were blown down in Ionia.
A few trees were blown down in Hastings.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5368385, 5368386, 5368387, 5368388, 5368389.