1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 2:30 PM EST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 330 PM EDT THU MAY 13 2004 .DISCUSSION... A RESPECTABLE AMOUNT OF CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IS ONGOING THIS AFTERNOON AS THE UPPER WAVE, ASSOCIATED WITH THE LETHARGIC PRECIP PATTERN FROM EARLY IN THE DAY, HAS MOVED CLOSE ENOUGH TO US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THIN CLOUD COVER OVER OUR AREA DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON ALLOWED ENOUGH SURFACE HEATING FOR TEMPS TO REACH THE LOWER 80S. THIS, ALONG WITH THE UPPER WAVE AND RELATIVELY UNCAPPED BOUNDARY LAYER, RESULTED IN AN EARLY ONSET TO THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AGAIN WITH CONVECTIVE INTENSITY VERY SIMILAR TO YESTERDAYS STORMS, CAPE AROUND 1800 J/KG AND FALLING WITH 0-6KM SHEAR AROUND 20 M/S. THIS COMBINATION OF SHORT WAVE FORCING AND INSTABILITY WILL RESULT IN NUMEROUS SHOWER COVERAGE IN THE SAGINAW VALLEY AND THUMB THIS EVENING WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REST OF SE MICHIGAN THIS EVENING. THE 12Z MODELS HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE AND THE MOISTURE FIELD AFFECTING OUR AREA TONIGHT. THE ETA IS PROBABLY A LITTLE OVERDONE AFTER MIDNIGHT BASED ON ITS 850 TO 500 MB RH, WHILE THE GFS SUGGESTS MORE OF A BREAK IN THE ACTION. A BREAK IN THE ACTION LOOKS GOOD AS WE ARE BETWEEN WAVES OVERNIGHT AND FOR MUCH OF FRIDAY MORNING. THE UPPER WAVE MOVING OUT OF THE FOUR CORNERS AREA WILL RELOAD PRECIP INTO THE SURFACE FRONT OVER LOWER MICHIGAN ON FRIDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS THE UPPER WAVE INDUCES A SURFACE LOW ON THE FRONT AND COMBINES WITH WELL-ORGANIZED UPPER JET SUPPORT TO GENERATE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF SE MICHIGAN BY AFTERNOON. ONCE AGAIN PREFER THE ETA SOLUTION AS ITS SURFACE FEATURES ARE MUCH LESS INFLUENCED BY CONVECTION THAN THE GFS. CATEGORICAL SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF RAINFALL AT MOST LOCATIONS. AVERAGE QPF NEAR 1 INCH IS LIKELY FOR THE EVENT WITH HEAVIER DOWNPOURS RESULTING IN AT LEAST SOME PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS, CONSIDERING THE RAINFALL WEVE HAD OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS. THE MOVEMENT OF THE SYSTEM IS JUST FAST ENOUGH TO AVOID A HEADLINE AT THIS POINT, BUT WELL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR RENEWED RISES ON AREA RIVERS. ALL OF THE MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT REGARDING THE TIMING OF FRONTAL PASSAGE AROUND 12Z SATURDAY. LOOKING AT OBS IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS, AND COLD ADVECTION IN THE MODELS, WELL KEEP TEMPS SHADED A BIT BELOW MODEL GUIDANCE, AS IN OUR GOING FORECAST, IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S AND UPPER 50S NEAR LAKE HURON. EXPECT WIDESPREAD COLD ADVECTION STRATOCU TO MIX OUT DURING THE DAY WITH AFTERNOON SUN ALLOWING US TO MAKE A LATE RUN AT HIGH TEMPS. THE REST OF THE WEEKEND WILL BE PLEASANT WITH DRY CONDITIONS AND NORMAL TEMPS. THE NEXT SYSTEM TO BRING PRECIP INTO THE GREAT LAKES IS DUE ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. THE GFS IS FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH THE SOUTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE MOVING INTO THE GREAT LAKES. IT IS A LITTLE WEAKER AND MORE PHASED WITH THE NORTHERN STREAM TROF OVER CENTRAL CANADA, BUT TUESDAY TIMING STILL LOOKS GOOD FOR THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. THIS BEING A SMALL SCALE FEATURE, TIMING AND STRENGTH DIFFERENCES ARE VERY EVIDENT IN THE LONG RANGE MODELS, BUT THE CANADIAN AND EURO MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE GFS IN MAINTAINING THE LARGE SCALE BLOCKING UPPER AIR PATTERN OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC BY WEDNESDAY. WHILE PREDICTABILITY IS LOW, WE PLAN TO START THURSDAY OUT WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AS THE NEXT ROCKIES SHORT WAVE IS SHOWN TO MOVE INTO THE GREAT LAKES. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AT OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD. LONG RANGE GUIDANCE NUMBERS LOOK GOOD. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && BT EXPERIMENTAL GRAPHICAL FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX (ALL LOWER CASE)
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 400 PM EDT THU MAY 13 2004 MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-141200- BAY-GENESEE-HURON-LAPEER-LENAWEE-LIVINGSTON-MACOMB-MIDLAND-MONROE- OAKLAND-SAGINAW-SANILAC-SHIAWASSEE-ST. CLAIR-TUSCOLA-WASHTENAW-WAYNE- 400 PM EDT THU MAY 13 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE OVER SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING...BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. WARM AND HUMID AIR WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...AND POSSIBLY PEA SIZE HAIL...AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. SOME PONDING OF WATER WILL OCCUR IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING AND LEAVE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME NUMEROUS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...SOME OF THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. AFTER A BREAK FROM THE STORMY WEATHER THIS WEEKEND...THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN TO LOWER MICHIGAN NEXT TUESDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT SWINGS THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. BT
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
841 PM EDT THU MAY 13 2004
CORRECTED TIME OF SECOND EVENT
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 PM TORNADO 5 SW OWOSSO 42.94N 84.25W
05/13/2004 SHIAWASSEE MI LAW ENFORCEMENT
BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN A FIELD...NO DAMAGE
0635 PM TORNADO 3 W OWOSSO 43.00N 84.24W
05/13/2004 SHIAWASSEE MI LAW ENFORCEMENT
FARM EQUIPMENT BLOWN OVER AND GRAIN BIN THROWN INTO THE
AIR AND TOSSED AROUND
&&
DWDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
841 PM EDT THU MAY 13 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 PM TORNADO 5 SW OWOSSO 42.94N 84.25W
05/13/2004 SHIAWASSEE MI LAW ENFORCEMENT
BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN A FIELD...NO DAMAGE
0652 PM TORNADO 3 W OWOSSO 43.00N 84.24W
05/13/2004 SHIAWASSEE MI LAW ENFORCEMENT
FARM EQUIPMENT BLOWN OVER AND GRAIN BIN THROWN INTO THE
AIR AND TOSSED AROUND
&&
DWDThe Detroit radar (KDTX), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:55 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a radio tower behind the Lapeer County Central Dispatch Center on Genesse Street, damaging the radio consoles and computers.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, May 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: 5399336.