A rare mid winter severe weather event occurred and resulted in several reports of high winds and large hail. There were few reports of damage associated with the severe weather.
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 GRR wrote it up.
A rare mid winter severe weather event occurred and resulted in several reports of high winds and large hail. There were few reports of damage associated with the severe weather. However hail did briefly cover the ground near Mt. Pleasant, and one tree was blown down just southeast of Spring Arbor. Two funnel clouds were also reported near Mt. Pleasant.
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 Jan 7, 3:15 PM EST, 4 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 315 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008 LATEST UPDATE...ALL BUT AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS...(315 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008) HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES TONIGHT. THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. SOME WET SNOW IS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE STORM DEPARTS WEDNESDAY MORNING. FLOODING ON AREA RIVERS IS POSSIBLE BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. COLDER WEATHER AND A SNOWSTORM ARE EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THRU TUE NIGHT (315 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008) A PLETHORA OF FORECAST PROBLEMS IN THE SHORT RANGE. MAIN ISSUES ARE FOR RAIN AMOUNTS AND POTENTIAL FOR WIND EVENT TOMORROW AFTERNOON. FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...POTENTIAL FOR MORE HEAVY RAIN MOVING IN THIS EVENING ALONG WITH SOME THUNDERSTORM HAILERS AS LLJ TAKES DIRECT AIM AT LOWER MICHIGAN. USED 18Z HPC QPF WITH SOME MINOR TWEAKS AND WENT CATEGORICAL POPS...THEN TAPERED OFF POPS FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON TUESDAY AS BAROCLINIC ZONE SLOWLY SHIFTS EAST. ADJUSTED FORECAST TEMPS CLOSER TO MAV GUIDANCE WHICH SHOWS WEDGE OF WARM AIR PERSISTING INTO TUE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA. WILL HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR ANY CONVECTION ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS MODELS CONTINUE TO PROG 50 KTS OF WIND JUST OFF THE SFC. FORTUNATELY...LOW LEVEL WINDS DECREASE BEHIND THE FRONT AND WINDS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE BY LATE IN THE DAY. FOR TUESDAY NIGHT...THE STORM PULLS OFF TO THE NORTHEAST WITH COLDER AIR FILTERING IN. WILL HAVE RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW FROM NW TO SE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. SOME LIGHT ACCUMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NE FORECAST AREA WHERE DEEPER MOISTURE HANGS ON LONGEST. && .LONG TERM...WED THROUGH MONDAY...(315 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008) HAVE ADDED SOME SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN CWA WEDNESDAY MORNING AS A FEW LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS. H8 TEMPS DIP DOWN TO MINUS 8C WITH A NORTHWEST FLOW. OTHERWISE THE PERIOD FROM WED INTO THU AFTERNOON WILL BE QUIET AS SURFACE RIDGING GOES BY. TEMPS WILL STAY SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. THINGS GET INTERESTING AGAIN BY LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS AND THEIR ENSEMBLES SUGGEST LOW PRESSURE MOVING OVER THE OHIO VALLEY IN THIS TIME FRAME. THE KEY TO THIS SYSTEM WILL BE HOW FAST THE COLDER AIR RETURNS AND WHEN PCPN CHANGES OVER TO ALL SNOW. INITIALLY EXPECT A RAIN/SNOW MIX...THEN CHANGING OVER TO ALL SNOW EVENTUALLY. BASED ON THE CURRENT TRACK THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA WOULD SEE HIGHER PCPN TOTALS. BUT WILL IT BE ALL SNOW...WILL BE THE QUESTION. WE WILL GRADUALLY SEE COOLER AIR FILTER DOWN FOR THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS SHOULD BE REINFORCED BY ANOTHER LOW TRACKING UP THE EAST COAST OVER THE WEEKEND HELPING DRAW COLDER AIR OVER THE GREAT LAKES. WILL CARRY LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS EACH DAY. && .AVIATION...(115 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008) WITH A FRONT OVER CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH MIXING FROM THE WIND TO KEEP CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN THE MVFR RANGE SOUTH OF THE FRONT. BELIEVE THE WINDS WILL SIMMER DOWN SOME OVERNIGHT AND IFR CONDITIONS SHOULD DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN TOWARD MIDNIGHT. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME INSTABILITY IN THE WARM SECTOR SO HAVE INDICATED THE CHANCE FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR STORMS WOULD BE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TAF SITES AND A COUPLE HOURS EITHER SIDE OF 00Z...BUT EVEN THESE SHOULD REMAIN WIDELY SCATTERED. ANOTHER SURGE OF PCPN WILL ARRIVE LATE TONIGHT/EARLY TUESDAY AS ANOTHER WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE RIDES NE ALONG THE FRONT. WINDS GUSTS WILL KICK UP AS THIS SYSTEM PASSES WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 30 KNOTS POSSIBLE TOWARD MID DAY TUESDAY. && .MARINE...(315 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008) MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE LAKE TONIGHT. WINDS WILL INCREASE TUESDAY NIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES AWAY AND COLDER AIR MOVES IN. SCA OR GALE WARNING MAY BE NEEDED BY TUESDAY NIGHT. && .HYDROLOGY...(315 PM EST MON JAN 7 2008) FLOOD WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR THE LOOKING GLASS RIVER NEAR EAGLE WITH THE EXPECTATION OF RAINFALL OF 1.5 TO 2 INCHES. FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES ELSEWHERE. SLOW MOVING FRONT AND DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL MEAN AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF RAIN...PERHAPS HEAVY....BEGINNING TONIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH TUESDAY WITH MOST OF THE RAIN EXPECTED ACROSS THE GRAND...KALAMAZOO...AND SAINT JOSEPH RIVER BASINS. SHARP RISES EXPECTED BEGINNING TOMORROW WITH CRESTS MOVING DOWN THE RIVERS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...FLOOD WATCH ENTIRE CWA TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. LM...NONE. && SYNOPSIS: OSTUNO SHORT TERM: OSTUNO LONG TERM: JK AVIATION: JK MARINE: OSTUNO HYDROLOGY: OSTUNO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 548 AM EST MON JAN 7 2008 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-081100- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 548 AM EST MON JAN 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ALONG RIVERS AND STREAMS BEGINNING TONIGHT. SHOWERS WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AFTER 7 PM AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND SNOW MELT MAY BRING SOME CREEKS OUT OF THEIR BANKS DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TUESDAY. AREAS WITH POOR DRAINAGE MAY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING OVERNIGHT. BESIDE THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT. GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AND THAT COULD BRING DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES CAUSING LOCAL POWER OUTAGES. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT BUT AN ISOLATED STORM IS POSSIBLE DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS OF TODAY ALSO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE FLOODING THREAT WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY DURING THE DAY AS RAIN...POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION OF THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND SNOW MELT MAY BRING SOME RIVERS TO NEAR OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. CREEKS AND AREAS WITH POOR DRAINAGE MAY ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH FLOODING. WHILE THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END TUESDAY EVENING... RUNOFF FROM THE EXPECTED 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN COULD RESULT IN RIVER RISES AND AREAS OF FLOODING FOR SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE RAIN EVENT HAS ENDED. THE SNOWSTORM EVENT FOR LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY REMAINS A REAL POSSIBILITY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS EVENT FOR POSSIBLE HEADLINES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. LMZ844>849-081100- ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI- HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI- WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI- 548 AM EST MON JAN 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY INTO TONIGHT. ANY STORM MAY HAVE GUSTY WINDS AND HIGH WAVES. LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS MAY RESULT IN LOW VISIBILITIES BESIDE THE THREAT FOR CLOUD TO WATER LIGHTNING FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WEST WINDS TO 30 KNOTS TUESDAY NIGHT WILL RESULT IN 5 TO 8 FOOT WAVES. THOSE ARE HAZARDOUS TO SMALL WATER CRAFT. THE WIND AND WAVES WILL SUBSIDE WEDNESDAY. LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY ANOTHER STRONG WINTER STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING THE THREAT FOR STRONG WINDS...HIGH WAVES AND SNOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. WDM
The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:28 UTC.
13 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Three quarters inch diameter hail was reported by a county official in Norton Shores.
Three quarters inch diameter hail was reported by a trained spotter two miles west of Ensley Center.
One inch diameter hail was measured 7 miles east of Newaygo.
An amateur radio operator reported one inch diameter hail 3 miles west of Howard City.
A trained spotter reported three quarters inch diameter hail near Beadle Lake.
Three quarters inch diameter hail was reported near Lakeview airport.
Seven eighths inch diameter hail was reported by an amateur radio operator near Rustford.
Three quarters inch hail was reported near Six Lakes.
Three quarters inch diameter hail was reported just southwest of the Mt. Pleasant airport.
One and a half inch diameter hail was reported in Winn.
A trained spotter reported street flooding at the intersection of Getty and Sherman with water estimated at eight inches deep.
One inch diameter hail was reported near the Mt. Pleasant airport.
A trained spotter reported one and a quarter inch diameter hail near the Mt. Pleasant airport.
A trained spotter near the Mt. Pleasant airport estimated a wind gust to 60 mph.
A trained spotter reported that hail covered the ground just southeast of the Mt. Pleasant airport.
Two funnel clouds were sighted near Mt. Pleasant, as reported by amateur radio operators in the area.
A 59 knot gust was estimated near Battle Creek.
One tree was blown down near the intersection of Reynolds and Horton roads three miles southeast of Spring Arbor.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, January 2008
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: 73582, 73583, 73584, 73585, 73586, 73588, 73589, 73590, 73591, 73592, 73596, 73593, 73594, 73598, 73595, 73581, 73599, 73597.