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 Jul 21, 5:15 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 615 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2005 .AVIATION... MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE VORTICITY CENTER TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION BY 04Z AND WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. MAINLY AC CLOUDS OUTSIDE AREAS OF CONVECTION...AREAS OF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS AT MBS/FNT 00-02Z AND DTW/DET 02-04Z. COLD FRONT TO DROP SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION OVERNIGHT IN WAKE OF MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE DEBRIS...RESULTING IN SURFACE WINDS BECOMING NORTHWEST AFTER 07Z NORTH TO AROUND 12Z IN DTW/DET AREA. PATCHY FOG WILL DEVELOP AFTER 07Z AS CLOUD FIELD MOVES EAST AND LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD SUBSIDES. FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO PRESS SOUTH INTO THE OHIO VALLEY AFTER 12Z...GOOD MIXING WILL INCREASE SURFACE WINDS TO 12KTS BY 16Z WITH SCATTERED CU ALSO DEVELOPING AROUND 040-045. MID LEVEL MOISTURE DIMINISHING AND SURFACE DEW POINTS SLOWLY FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD PRECLUDE ANY THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...ISSUED AT 353 PM OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AND ASSOCIATED CONVECTION MOVED WAY OUT AHEAD OF THE MAIN CIRCULATION THAT STILL RESIDES OVER WISCONSIN. THIS COURSE TOOK THE LEADING CONVECTION RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF THE RIDGE IN PLACE OVER MICHIGAN. THIS LED TO ITS DEMISE. NOW OVER GRAND RAPIDS...CONVECTION IS STRUGGLING TO SUSTAIN ITSELF. WITH CLOUD DEBRIS OVER MOST OF MICHIGAN...TEMPERATURES IN SE LOWER ARE PRIMARILY IN THE LOW TO MID 80S...BUT WITH DEWPOINTS HOVERING NEAR 70F...THERE IS ENOUGH INSTABILITY IN PLACE TO WARRANT CHANCE POPS THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM EARLIER CONVECTION WORKING ITS WAY ACROSS THE STATE. THE PRIMARY FOCUS POINT FOR CONVECTION REACHING SEVERE LIMITS WILL PRESIDE TO OUR WEST AND SOUTH. THE MOVEMENT OF THESE STRONGER STORMS THAT FIRE OVER EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED BUT THEY ARE EXPECTED TO PROPAGATE EAST/SOUTHEAST AND MISS OUR CWA. OUR TWO SOUTHERN COUNTIES THOUGH COULD GET CLIPPED BY THESE STORMS...THUS WILL NEED MONITORING. DRIER AIR WILL FINALLY START TO WORK IN GRADUALLY THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY AS A NORTH WIND PREVAILS. FRIDAY LOOKS TO BE A NICE DAY WITH MAX TEMPS IN THE 80S. && .LONG TERM...ISSUED AT 353 PM HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT...BRINGING A BRIEF COOL DOWN. WEAK WINDS AND CLEARING SKIES SHOULD ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP DOWN NEAR/BELOW NORMAL INTO THE UPPER 50S. BETTER RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS ON SATURDAY AS THE HIGH SHIFTS EAST...WITH ADDITIONAL TEMPERATURE RESPONSE FROM WARM ADVECTION AS WELL. WITH THERMAL TROUGH TO THE EAST AND INCREASED MIXING...COULD SEE TEMPS CLIMB BACK TO JUST ABOVE NORMAL ONCE AGAIN. MID/HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE BEGINS TO INCREASE DURING THE DAY AS WELL...LEADING TO PARTLY SUNNY SKIES BY AFTERNOON. DIFFERENCES EXIST BETWEEN THE NAM/GFS WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHING FOR THIS WEEKEND. NAM IS MUCH FASTER THAN THE GFS...TRACKING AN ELONGATED SURFACE WAVE THROUGH NORTHERN ONTARIO AND SWINGING A FRONT THROUGH LOWER MICHIGAN BY 00Z MONDAY. GFS DEVELOPS A MORE CONSOLIDATED LOW FARTHER NORTH OF THE REGION...AND IS MUCH SLOWER BRINGING THE FRONT THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. ACTUALLY...THE GFS HANGS THE BOUNDARY UP ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN... NEVER CLEARING IT THROUGH COMPLETELY. HARD TO SAY WHICH IS A FAVORED SOLUTION...BUT LEANED MORE TOWARD THE GFS WHICH SEEMS TO BE A BIT MORE CONSISTENT. HOWEVER DO NOT BUY IT ENTIRELY GIVEN CONVECTIVE ISSUES...ESPECIALLY SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT. NOT TOO MANY CHANGES TO THE GOING PACKAGE GIVEN THIS UNCERTAINTY...MAINLY JUST TO CARRY POPS THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY DESPITE THE FASTER NAM SOLUTION. CURRENT GFS IS NOT AS STRONG AS EARLIER RUNS WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN BEHIND THE FRONT SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY...AS NOTED ABOVE WITH THE FRONT STALLING ACROSS THE REGION. GFS LOOKS TO DEVELOP FEEDBACK PROBLEMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY WELL UPSTREAM...WHICH MAY LEAD TO ITS SLOW PROGRESS. FOR NOW WILL STICK WITH THE IDEA OF THE FRONT CLEARING THROUGH THE CWA AND SOME SEMBLANCE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN. IF NOT CLEAR THROUGH ENTIRELY...WEAKEN/WASH OUT OVER THE CWA. THEREFORE WILL KEEP MONDAY DRY. WOULD NEED A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IF THE BOUNDARY REMAINED ACTIVE AND IN THE VICINITY. AS IT STANDS WILL KEEP THE DAY DRY...WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING BACK INTO THE UPPER 80S/NEAR 90 ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWA. NEXT DECENT SYNOPTIC SHORTWAVE SWINGS INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY. A FAIR AMOUNT OF UNCERTAIN EXISTS WITH THE EVOLUTION OF THIS SYSTEM...ESPECIALLY WITH THE ABUNDANT CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL TO MAKE THINGS REALLY MESSY. HOWEVER TREND IN THE GFS HAS AT LEAST SETTLED DOWN ON THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN. TIMING IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO EARLIER RUNS...BUT A BIT FASTER...ENOUGH TO ADD A CHANCE TO NORTHERN LAKE HURON MONDAY NIGHT. MAIN PRECIP CHANCES LOOK TO BE WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOCUSED ALONG THE FRONT AS IT SWINGS THROUGH LOWER MICHIGAN. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS IN ON WEDNESDAY BEHIND THE SYSTEM. WITH THE SLIGHTLY FASTER TREND NOTED ABOVE...DROPPED THE SMALL CHANCE POPS ON WEDNESDAY. WITH THE HIGH BUILDING ACROSS THE REGION WILL INTRODUCE THURSDAY PRECIP FREE. 12Z GFS SHOWS A STRONGER SHORTWAVE DIVING INTO THE GREAT LAKES...WHICH MAY ALLOW SOMETHING TO SNEAK IN FROM THE NORTH. HOWEVER AT THIS POINT A DRY FORECAST SEEMS MOST APPROPRIATE. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LAKE HURON...NONE. LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE. MI WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...SHULER LONG TERM....BRAVENDER AVIATION.....GSS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 149 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2005 MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-221800- MIDLAND-BAY-HURON-SAGINAW-TUSCOLA-SANILAC-SHIAWASSEE-GENESEE- LAPEER-ST. CLAIR-LIVINGSTON-OAKLAND-MACOMB-WASHTENAW-WAYNE- LENAWEE-MONROE- 149 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AS A COMPLEX OF STORMS MOVES ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN INTO LOWER MICHIGAN. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST ALONG A STALLED SURFACE BOUNDARY DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT CONTINUING INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS A WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH LOWER MICHIGAN. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH THESE STORMS. A STRONG COLD FRONT FOR JULY...WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT ON TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SOME SEVERE WEATHER WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. THERE MAY BE AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ON WEDNESDAY WITH SOME LINGERING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS ANTICIPATED. LCZ422-423-460-LEZ444-LHZ421-422-441>443-462>464-221800- ST. CLAIR RIVER-DETROIT RIVER-LAKE ST. CLAIR- MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE-OUTER SAGINAW BAY-INNER SAGINAW BAY- PORT AUSTIN TO HARBOR BEACH MI-HARBOR BEACH TO PORT SANILAC MI- PORT SANILAC TO PORT HURON MI- LAKE HURON OFFSHORE BEYOND 5 NM FROM PORT AUSTIN TO HARBOR BEACH MI- LAKE HURON OFFSHORE BEYOND 5 NM FROM HARBOR BEACH TO PORT SANILAC MI- LAKE HURON OFFSHORE BEYOND 5 NM FROM PORT SANILAC TO PORT HURON MI- 149 PM EDT THU JUL 21 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR LAKE HURON...LAKE ST CLAIR AND THE MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AS A COMPLEX OF STORMS MOVES ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN INTO LOWER MICHIGAN. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST ALONG A STALLED SURFACE BOUNDARY DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT CONTINUING INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS A WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH LOWER MICHIGAN. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH THESE STORMS. A STRONG COLD FRONT FOR JULY...WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT ON TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SOME SEVERE WEATHER WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. THERE MAY BE AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ON WEDNESDAY WITH SOME LINGERING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS ANTICIPATED.
The Detroit radar (KDTX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:13 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A Westland teenager was injured when lightning struck a tree he was standing under. The boy received first and second degree burns on his body.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, July 2005
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: 5466497.