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 19, 8:53 PM EST, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 953 PM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 .UPDATE... AFTER A PLEASANT EVENING AROUND SE MICHIGAN, PLAN TO HOLD ON TO SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MODEL TEMP AND MOISTURE FIELDS SHOW AN IMPRESSIVE GRADIENT OVER SE MICHIGAN THIS EVENING WITH THE BEST ADVECTION NORTH AND EAST OF OUR AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT. AS THE WARM FRONT MOVES NORTH, MOISTURE WILL BE ON THE INCREASE IN THE WARM SECTOR BUT IT WILL BE SHALLOW AS NOTED BY MODEL 850 MB DEWPOINTS AROUND 10C AND 700 MB DEWPOINTS STRUGGLING TO GET ABOVE 0C. AT THE SAME TIME, THE 00Z DTX SOUNDING AND MODEL FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE SOME POTENTIAL FOR RADIATIVE COOLING ABOVE 700 MB, WHICH WILL STEEPEN MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AS THE LOW LEVELS MOISTEN UP. THE RESULT COULD BE FREE CONVECTION AHEAD OF ANY ACTIVITY MOVING IN FROM IA/MN/WI TOWARD SUNRISE. THE IA/MN/WI CONVECTION HAS FORMED IN THE VICINITY OF THE SURFACE WARM FRONT AND UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SHORT WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS. AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON, EXPECT THIS ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING AS THE LOW LEVEL JET INCREASES AND FEEDS MOISTURE INTO THE SYSTEM. THE RESULTING MCS WILL TRACK EAST TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN OVERNIGHT AND GRADUALLY WEAKEN AS IT LOSES LOW LEVEL JET SUPPORT. THE MODEST MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES OVER THE GREAT LAKES, IF NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SHOWERS AHEAD OF THE MCS, WILL HELP SUSTAIN THE STORMS BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED IN SE MICHIGAN. THE DYING MCS WILL TRACK THROUGH THE AREA AND EXIT TO THE EAST BY LATE MORNING. FORECAST UPDATE WILL CALL FOR SCATTERED POPS OVERNIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING TO ADD SOME CONFIDENCE TO THE FORECAST WORDING. && BT .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED AT 307 PM TODAY CHALLENGING FORECAST CONTINUES AS CONVECTION CONCERNS REMAIN THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD AND ITS EVENTUAL IMPACT ON SOUTHEAST LOWER. WHILE SYNOPTIC PATTERN IN THE MODELS LOOKS OK, DETAILS WITHIN THE MESOSCALE ARE HAVING AN IMPACT WITH MID LEVEL WAVES AND RELIABILITY IN THE NUMERICAL SUITE IS QUITE LOW. H2O VAPOR LOOP CLEARLY SHOWS THE POSITIVE TILTED TROF EXTENDING FROM LAKE WINNIPEG INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SHORT WAVE WAS PROGRESSING NORTHEAST INTO NORTH DAKOTA WITH SEVERAL WAVE UPSTREAM. SUBTROPICAL UPPER LEVEL HIGH WAS SITUATED OVER TEXAS WITH BERMUDA SURFACE HIGH ALREADY IN PLACE. ACROSS THE CENTER OF THE NATION REMAINS THE EVER-PRESENT FRONT THAT APPEARS TO KEEP US BUSY THROUGH THIS FORECAST PERIOD. DEWPOINTS SOUTH OF THIS FRONT HAVE RISEN TO AROUND 70F AND THIS AIR IS FORECAST TO ADVECT INTO THE CWA THURSDAY...BUT HOW FAR NORTH THIS FRONT GETS REMAINS AN ISSUE. MEANWHILE, SURFACE HIGH OVER THE STATE TODAY RESULTED IN PLEASANT WEATHER WITH A GOOD DEAL OF SUNSHINE YET TEMPERATURES HAVE NOT CLIMBED TOO MUCH AS MIXING LAYER HEIGHTS ARE STILL LOW AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF TEMPERATURE ADVECTION. WITH SUCH A DRY COLUMN ALOFT, ANY CU HAS ALREADY VANISHED WITH STATUS SOUTH OF THE STATE LINE AND UPSTREAM WAA CIRRUS MAKING INROADS INTO NORTHERN LOWER. TONIGHT... MODELS ARE CONSISTENT LIFTING THE NORTH DAKOTA SHORT WAVE INTO THE UPPER LAKES OVERNIGHT WITH 850-700 THETA-E ADVECTION MOVING OVERHEAD LATE. ELEVATED INSTABILITY REMAINS MINOR WITH SWIS SLOWLY DROPPING YET REMAINING ON THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. MAIN LOW LEVEL JET AXIS REMAINS ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AND ON THE NOSE OF THIS JET, WE SHOULD SEE AN MCS EVOLVE. SURFACE WARM FRONT PER MODEL SOLUTIONS DOES LIFT NORTH BUT USUALLY MODELS OVERDUE THE NOCTURNAL SURFACE MOVEMENT OUTSIDE OF STRONG LOW LEVEL FLOW. SO AT THIS TIME, OUR CONVECTIVE CHANCES ARE DECREASING BUT STILL HOLD ONTO THE CURRENT GRIDS FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. WITH LOWER AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES, WE WILL LOWER OVERNIGHT TEMPS A COUPLE OF NOTCHES. THURSDAY... A LOT WILL DEPEND ON THE EVENTUAL DEVELOPMENT/TRACK OF UPSTREAM MCS/MCV AND ITS CLOUD FIELD AND COOL POOL OUTFLOW BOUNDARY PLACEMENT. THE MODELS ARE VERY CONSISTENT WITH THE WARM ADVECTION COMING IN EARNEST AND UPSTREAM COLD FRONT (CURRENTLY NORTH OF THE U.S. BORDER) TRACKING SOUTHEAST DURING THE AFTERNOON. CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS ARE IMPRESSIVE WITH CAPES OF 2-3K J/KG AND LI/S WELL INTO THE NEGATIVE TERRITORY. THE ISSUES WILL BE HOW MUCH ARE WE ABLE TO RECOVER WITH INSOLATION AND WITH THE WARMING 700MB TEMPS...WE MIGHT REMAIN CAPPED. PRECIPITABLE WATERS IN THE MODELS APPEAR INCORRECT WITH THE ETA AND GFS CLIMBING OVER 1.50 BUT UPSTREAM CONDITIONS DO NOT SUPPORT THIS AND IT IS THEREFORE DISCOUNTED. HOWEVER, SEVERE POTENTIAL REMAINS... SO IF WE ASSUME WE BREAK THE CAP OUR 0-1KM CAPES OVER 2K J/KG AND EHI/S NEAR 2 WITH 0-3KM HODOGRAPHS SHOWING ENOUGH CURVATURE, WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS EVOLVING INTO BOWS/LEWPS. SOME UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WITH STRENGTHENING 300MB JET BUT IT LOOKS LIKE NOT UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY DOES THE ENTRANCE REGION BECOMING LINED UP ACROSS THE REGION. WE CURRENTLY HAVE SCATTERED MENTIONED IN THE GRIDS AND TO AVOID THE FLIP-FLOP WE WILL LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE. THURSDAY NIGHT... FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTH BUT IT BECOMES NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE MID LEVEL FLOW. WE WILL HOLD ONTO THE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE SOUTHERN 2/3RDS OF THE CWA FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT. STILL ENOUGH INSTABILITY AROUND WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES COMING IN ALOFT FROM THE NORTH. LOOKING AHEAD, WE REMAIN QUITE ACTIVE WITH THIS FRONT CONTINUING TO PLAGUE THE GREAT LAKES REGION. MODELS SHOW AN EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE LOW LEVEL JET SETTING UP ACROSS THE PLAINS WITH INCREASING THREAT FOR STRONG/SEVERE MCSS TRACKING ACROSS THE STATE. AS WAS POINTED OUT BY OUR LOCAL CLIMATE EXPERT, THE NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION IS BECOMING MORE NEGATIVE WHICH WOULD SUPPORT THE UPSTREAM TROF AMPLIFYING NEXT WEEK... WE SHALL SEE. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && BGM 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 1045 PM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-201200- BAY-GENESEE-HURON-LAPEER-LENAWEE-LIVINGSTON-MACOMB-MIDLAND-MONROE- OAKLAND-SAGINAW-SANILAC-SHIAWASSEE-ST. CLAIR-TUSCOLA-WASHTENAW-WAYNE- 1045 PM EDT WED MAY 19 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AFTER 3 AM...BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THE STORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT 30 MPH...WITH THE STRONGEST CAPABLE OF PEA SIZED HAIL AND 35 MPH WIND GUSTS. A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT... IN ADDITION TO ACTIVITY THAT SURVIVES THE TRIP FROM A COMPLEX OF STORMS FROM SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS. .DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY OVERNIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIT THE AREA AROUND MID MORNING ON THURSDAY...THEN THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE... AND CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH A CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND SETTLE INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BY FRIDAY MORNING. IT WILL THEN LIFT BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT FRIDAY AFTERNOON...AND LINGER OVER THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY...THUS PROVIDING A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY EACH DAY. A HUMID AIRMASS WILL RESIDE SOUTH OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL THUS BE CAPABLE OF TAPPING INTO HIGH MOISTURE...WHICH WOULD ALLOW THEM TO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. BT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX (ALL LOWER CASE)
The Detroit radar (KDTX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:27 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning was blamed for a blackout which left most of the City of Gibraltar and parts of Brownstown Township and the City of Flat Rock without power.
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: 5399743.