Thunderstorms developed in Wisconsin ahead of a strong upper level disturbance. The storms organized into several squall lines, crossing Lake Michigan and bringing severe weather to parts of northern Lower Michigan.
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 episode as NWS APX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed in Wisconsin ahead of a strong upper level disturbance. The storms organized into several squall lines, crossing Lake Michigan and bringing severe weather to parts of northern Lower Michigan.
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 Gaylord, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 13, 10:20 AM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI 1120 AM EDT SUN JUN 13 2004 .SHORT TERM...VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE AND SURFACE RESPONSE ARE MAKING THEIR WAY THRU WISCONSIN LATE THIS MORNING. RESULTING CONVECTIVE COMPLEX IS HEADING N/NE THRU THE STATE TOWARD WRN UPR MICHIGAN. A FEW STORMS WITHIN THIS COMPLEX HAVE BEEN STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH THE MAIN THREAT SO FAR BEING LARGE HAIL PER WISCONSIN LSRS. HOWEVER... WELL DEFINED BOW ECHO HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED WEST OF GRB AND MAY PRODUCE SOME STRONG TO SEVERE WINDS GIVEN VERTICAL SPEED SHEAR AND NEARLY UNIDIRECTIONAL WINDS THRU THE COLUMN. LATEST MESOETA IS STILL SHOWING A N/NE TRACK TO THIS VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE...PUSHING STRONG LIFTING/UPPER SUPPORT VIA DPVA INTO ERN UPR MI...GREEN BAY AND CENTRAL LAKE MICHIGAN BY 18Z...AND INTO ERN UPR AND NRN LOWER MICHIGAN BY LATE AFTERNOON. MODIFIED 12Z APX SOUNDING (80/66) YIELDS CAPES NEARING 3500 J/KG...LIS OF -9...K INDICES IN THE MID 30S AND PWS OVER AN INCH. SFC DWPTS HAVE ALREADY INCREASED TO THE MID 60S ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA. INCREASING VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WILL ALLOW FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF WELL ORGANIZED UPDRAFTS. WHILE THE BEST DYNAMICS WILL BE ACROSS NW SECTIONS OF THE CWA CLOSER TO THE SHORT WAVE AND RRQ OF A 300 MB JET MAX...BETTER THERMODYNAMICS WILL RESIDE IN SE SECTIONS OF THE CWA WHERE DWPTS WILL RISE INTO THE UPPER 60S AS A 55 KT 850 MB JET MAX LEANS INTO SAGINAW BAY. SEE NO REASON TO STRAY FROM LIKELY POPS FOR ALL ZONES THIS AFTERNOON. CERTAINLY THINK SEVERE POTENTIAL IS THERE (SEE SPC SWODY1 OUTLOOK). NOTHING HAS DEVELOP YET ACROSS THE CWA...BUT EXPECT RAPID DEVELOPMENT DURING EARLY/MID AFTERNOON AS BREAKS IN LOW CLOUDS BECOME MORE NUMEROUS INCREASING DIURNALLY DRIVEN INSTABILITY AND AS DPVA FROM THE SHORT WAVE ENTERS THE REGION. .PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED AT 324 AM EDT SUN JUN 13 2004 LONG TERM...LOOKING AT A GENERAL FLATTENING OF THE UPPER PATTERN FOR THE START OF THE NEW WEEK AS UPPER LOW AROUND 50N/140W THIS MORNING STARTS TO FILL AND GET MORE SHEARED OUT WITH TIME... ASSOCIATED JET STREAK GETTING PULLED INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL ALLOW RESIDUAL TROFFING OVER THE HIGH PLAINS TO WEAKEN WHILE PUSHING SEVERAL WAVES THROUGH THE WESTERN LAKES TODAY (AS MENTIONED ABOVE) AND AGAIN MONDAY. MAIN PUSH OF COLDER AIR COMES IN MONDAY AFTERNOON ALONG WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SO MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS WILL DEAL WITH THE EFFECTS OF MAIN COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED UPPER SHORT WAVE MONDAY. MONDAY...CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE STRAITS BY EARLY AFTERNOON...PROBABLY WONT CLEAR CENTRAL LOWER COUNTIES UNTIL MONDAY EVENING. DAYTIME HEATING AND DEW POINTS STILL IN THE 50S/LOWER 60S WILL CONTRIBUTE TO CAPE ABOVE 1000 J/KG...WITH SHORT WAVE TROUGH/ASSOCIATED JET STREAK ADDING SUPPORT. AFTERNOON SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS STILL LOOK REASONABLE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...AND WILL LINGER POPS INTO THE EVENING ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN LOWER UNTIL FRONT PUSHES INTO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE...BUT WITH ONE CAVEAT. ETA SHOWING SOME MID LEVEL INSTABILITY (800-700MB LAYER) SOUTH OF M-32 MONDAY NIGHT...IMPLYING POTENTIAL FOR SOME ACCAS-TYPE SHOWERS. FORCING EARLY TUESDAY MORNING IS FAIRLY WEAK... MODEL IS IMPLYING SOME CONFLUENCE AROUND 850MB AND F-VECTOR CONVERGENCE...THOUGH OVERALL QG FORCING IS DOWNWARD. ISENTROPIC VERTICAL MOTION ALSO NEUTRAL...SO NOT SURE IF THERE WILL BE ENOUGH LIFT TO SQUEEZE OUT ANY PRECIP. WILL KEEP THE OVERNIGHT HOURS DRY...BUT THIS ISSUE WILL NEED TO BE REVISITED. MARINE ISSUES... PROBABLY ANOTHER GOOD LAKE BREEZE DAY ON THE LAKE HURON SIDE... 950-925MB WINDS ARE MARGINALLY STRONG (AROUND 15 KTS) BUT SUSPECT THERMAL CONTRAST WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO TURN THE WINDS AROUND FROM SOUTHWEST TO EAST/SOUTHEAST. TUESDAY AND EXTENDED PERIODS...STILL LOOKING DRY FOR TUESDAY WITH WEAK SURFACE HIGH OVERHEAD. MIDWEEK PRECIP CHANCE STILL REASONABLE AS WELL. NO CHANGES MADE FOR TUESDAY AND BEYOND. && .APX...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && JPB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI 1124 AM EDT SUN JUN 13 2004 MIZ008-015>036-041-042-LSZ321-322-LMZ323-341-342-344-345- LHZ345>349-141100- ALCONA-ALPENA-ANTRIM-ARENAC-BENZIE-CHARLEVOIX-CHEBOYGAN-CHIPPEWA- CRAWFORD-EMMET-GLADWIN-GRAND TRAVERSE-IOSCO-KALKASKA-LEELANAU- MACKINAC-MANISTEE-MISSAUKEE-MONTMORENCY-OGEMAW-OSCODA-OTSEGO- PRESQUE ISLE-ROSCOMMON-WEXFORD...INCLUDING THE ADJACENT WATERS WITHIN FIVE NAUTICAL MILES OF SHORE ON LAKE MICHIGAN...LAKE HURON AND LAKE SUPERIOR 1124 AM EDT SUN JUN 13 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN LOWER AND EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE GREATEST CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM HOUGHTON LAKE TO JUST NORTH OF OSCODA. HAIL UP TO ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES IN DIAMETER... WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 1 AND 9 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN MICHIGAN MONDAY AFTERNOON...WEDNESDAY...AND FRIDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE MONDAY AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING URL: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/APX (ALL LOWER CASE) JPB/EME
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
105 PM EDT SUN JUN 13 2004
MIZ016>036-041-042-140000-
ALCONA-ALPENA-ANTRIM-ARENAC-BENZIE-CHARLEVOIX-CHEBOYGAN-CRAWFORD-
EMMET-GLADWIN-GRAND
TRAVERSE-IOSCO-KALKASKA-LEELANAU-MANISTEE-MISSAUKEE-MONTMORENCY-
OGEMAW-OSCODA-OTSEGO-PRESQUE ISLE-ROSCOMMON-WEXFORD-
105 PM EDT SUN JUN 13 2004
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS
OF NORTHERN MICHIGAN EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM EDT SUNDAY EVENING. THIS
WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN
CHEBOYGAN...PRESQUE ISLE...ANTRIM...OTSEGO...MONTMORENCY...GRAND
TRAVERSE...KALKASKA...CRAWFORD...ALCONA...OSCODA...BENZIE...
MANISTEE...IOSCO...WEXFORD...MISSAUKEE...ROSCOMMON...OGEMAW...
ARENAC...GLADWIN...CHARLEVOIX...EMMET...LEELANAU AND ALPENA
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...REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF SEVERE WEATHER
APPROACHES.The NCL Michigan radar (KAPX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:01 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several large trees were downed, and some buildings sustained roof and shingle damage.
Considerable damage was done to fruit trees and other crops in the Leland area. Damage estimate is conservative.
A few trees were uprooted.
Power lines were blown down.
Tornado tracked from just southwest of Rust, to the Alpena County line east of Hillman. Damage was sporadic, suggesting the tornado was on the ground only intermittently. Occasional tree damage occurred along the path. Damage to structures occurred in Rust, where roofs were damaged and windows broken. Just northeast of the community, the tornado destroyed a barn and silo and a nearby 80-year old farmhouse. More homes were damaged two miles south of Hillman, with shingles blown off and one home struck by a falling tree. A billboard was destroyed along M-32 at the Alpena/Montmorency County line.
The tornado lifted just after moving into Alpena County. Over twenty trees were downed at the Thunder Bay Golf Resort.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 2004Warnings in Michigan, June 2004
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: 5409690, 5409691, 5409692, 5409693, 5409694, 5409695.