9 hail, 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 May 10, 1:15 PM EST, 9 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 215 PM EDT SAT MAY 10 2003 NEAR TERM FORECAST ISSUES ARE TWOFOLD...TYPE AND COVERAGE OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT AND HIGH WIND THREAT ON SUNDAY...AND POSSIBLY INTO MONDAY AS WELL. FOR TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH MCS MOVED ACROSS ILLINOIS AND INDIANA THIS MORNING...CLEARING ON THE BACKSIDE OF THAT SYSTEM WILL ALLOW AIRMASS RECOVERY THERE BY LATE AFTERNOON. STORMS ARE CURRENTLY FIRING ACROSS THE DRY LINE SOUTH OF THE MAIN SFC LOW WHICH IS OVER EASTERN KANSAS ATTM. EXPECT CONVECTION TO BE EXPANDING NORTHWARD THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS NORTHERN MO AND WESTERN IL AS UPPER JET EJECTS OUT OF THE BASE OF THE H5 TROUGH. EXPECT LINEAR CONVECTION TO BRING THE THREAT OF WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS TO AT LEAST THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA BY LATE EVENING AND PERHAPS LASTING WELL PAST MIDNIGHT FOR THE EASTERN CWA. ETA HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN SHOWING SE FLOW THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AS SFC WARM FRONT PUSHES INTO SW LOWER MICHIGAN. THIS PUMPS UP THE LOW LEVEL HELICITY VALUES. MEANWHILE..LCL HEIGHTS ARE PROGGED TO BE BELOW 1 KFT. ANY STRONG UPDRAFTS MOVING IN THE VICINITY OF THIS FEATURE...INCLUDING THOSE EMBEDDED IN LINES OF CONVECTION...WILL NEED TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED FOR ROTATION. BY 12Z...THE STEADIER RAIN SHOULD BE CLEARING THE EASTERN CWA AS COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH AND DRY SLOT BRINGS AN END TO ALL BUT SCT SHRA AND DRIZZLE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE FALLING AFTER 12Z WITH CLOUDS AND STRONG CAA KEEPING TEMPS FROM GOING ANYWHERE INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON. HAVE CUT MAXES FOR SUNDAY. ETA PROGS 65 KNOT WINDS AT 3 KFT BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE CAA. SO HIGH WIND WATCH LOOKS GOOD. VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT PERSISTS THROUGH MONDAY AS DEEP SFC LOW MOVES EAST ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER. STRONG SFC WINDS MAY CONTINUE INTO MONDAY. NGM MOS HAS 25 PLUS KT SFC WINDS RIGHT THROUGH 00Z TUE AT MKG. HYDRO...EXPECT CONVECTION TO BE FAST MOVING OVERNIGHT...BUT RIVERS SHOULD RESPOND WITH SHARP RISES AT A FEW SITES DUE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...PRIMARILY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWA WHERE SOME HEAVY RAINS OCCURRED RECENTLY. INTERESTINGLY...THE ETA IS SHOWING QPF WELL IN EXCESS OF AN INCH ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE WRAPAROUND AS THE LOW PASSES NORTH OF THE GRR CWA. THIS APPEARS TO BE OVERDONE...BUT NEEDS TO BE WATCHED AS THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM FOR SMALLER RIVERS THAT WILL STILL BE HIGH FROM THE THE RAINS EXPECTED TONIGHT. OSTUNO VERY LITTLE CHANGE REQUIRED TO THE EXTENDED FCST. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL NUDGE IN FROM THE WEST AT THE SFC AND ALOFT TUESDAY... PRODUCING PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL APPROACH OUR AREA WEDNESDAY... BRINGING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS BY LATE IN THE DAY. 12Z GFS GUIDANCE NOW INDICATES PCPN WILL LINGER INTO THURSDAY AS LOW PRESSURE PASSES TO OUR SOUTH AND THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS MOVES OVERHEAD. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE BACK IN LATE THIS WEEK... PRODUCING CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH MILDER TEMPS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. LAURENS .GRR...HIGH WIND WATCH FOR SUNDAY...OVER THE ENTIRE CWA.
MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-111000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 115 PM EDT SAT MAY 10 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM HOLLAND TO JACKSON...MAINLY FOR TONIGHT. FURTHER NORTH...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. A SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN FROM 800 PM THROUGH 200 AM. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE WIDESPREAD STRONG DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL. SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD FORM AS EARLY AS MID AFTERNOON. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME VERY UNSTABLE BY LATE AFTERNOON AND ISOLATED STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE BY EVENING. THE SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO FORM THIS EVENING IN RESPONSE TO A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT WILL BE TRACKING FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES TODAY...TO WISCONSIN BY SUNDAY. ALTHOUGH THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DOWNBURST WINDS ALONG THE SQUALL LINE...A WARM FRONT ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN TONIGHT MAY PROVIDE LOW LEVEL TURNING OF THE WINDS. THIS WILL ALLOW FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR TORNADOES TO BE PRODUCED BY ANY STORMS MOVING IN THE VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY STRONG WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE PASSAGE OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ON SUNDAY. A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SUNDAY AS SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE PREDICTED...WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. OSTUNO
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
0752 PM EDT SAT MAY 10 2003
TIME(EDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1210 AM 1 W BROOKLYN MI 1.00 IN HAIL
05/10/03 JACKSON HAIL ABOUT ONE INCH IN
DIAMETER NEAR CLARK LAKE.
OSTUNOMIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-111000-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
1159 PM EDT SAT MAY 10 2003
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS
OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 AM EDT
SUNDAY MORNING. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
MASON...LAKE...OCEANA...NEWAYGO AND MUSKEGON
IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN
OSCEOLA...CLARE...ISABELLA...MECOSTA...MONTCALM AND GRATIOT
IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
KENT...ALLEGAN...BARRY...KALAMAZOO...VAN BUREN AND OTTAWA
IN SOUTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN
IONIA...CLINTON...INGHAM...EATON...JACKSON AND CALHOUN
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.
MJSThe Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 26 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:57 UTC.
9 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Seven eights inch diameter hail was reported with a thunderstorm in Jamestown.
Hail up to one inch in diameter was reported in Grand Rapids.
Two reports of one inch diameter hail was received from New Era.
Another report of one inch diameter hail was received in the city of Grand Rapids.
Seven eighths inch diameter hail was reported in Bristol.
A severe thunderstorm produced three quarters inch hail two miles east of Ionia.
One inch hail was reported about twelve miles north of the city of Ionia, or near Fenwick.
One and three quarters inch diameter hail was reported in Maple Rapids.
The last severe thunderstorm across the area during the early morning hours produced seven eighths inch diameter hail in Perrinton.
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, May 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: 5357045, 5357046, 5357047, 5357048, 5357049, 5357050, 5357051, 5357052, 5357053.