Hail, Branch
- When
- June 15, 4:12 PM EST to 4:13 PM EST
- Where
- Branch County, 2.81 mi S of Hodunk
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 41.980, -85.060
Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 15, 2008
Morning convection stabilized the area until early afternoon when strong heating and an approaching short wave and front set the stage for rapid thunderstorm development. While instability was considered moderate, steep mid-level lapse rates allowed for a favorable profile for large hail and damaging winds.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS IWX wrote it up.
Morning convection stabilized the area until early afternoon when strong heating and an approaching short wave and front set the stage for rapid thunderstorm development. While instability was considered moderate, steep mid-level lapse rates allowed for a favorable profile for large hail and damaging winds. The storms began as very proficient hail producers and evolved into causing wind damage as they evolved.
What forecasters said that day
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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 15, 4:11 PM EST, 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 15, 4:11 PM EST, 1 minute before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 511 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008 .UPDATE... LINE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED ALONG/AHEAD OF CDFNT FM SW MI INTO CENTRAL IL THIS AFTN. UPDATED ZFP FOR SVR TSTM WATCH AND TO INCREASE POPS SW LATE THIS AFTN AND SE THIS EVE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 324 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008/ SHORT TERM... TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NGT... AIRMASS STILL RECOVERING FROM PASSAGE OF TSTM CLUSTER/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THIS MORNING. SPC ANALYSIS INDICATES WK INSTABILITY WITH SBCAPES APCHG 1KJ/KG AND WK SBCIN REMAINING OVER THE CWA ATTM. WAA AND DIURNAL HEATING/MIXING SHOULD DESTABILIZE AIRMASS FURTHER LATE THIS AFTN...HWVR...NAM BUFKIT SOUNDINGS SUGGEST AIRMASS WILL REMAIN RATHER DRY WITH ONLY MODERATE INSTABILITY DVLPG. STRONG MID LEVEL FLOW...40-50KT SHEAR...INVERTED V SOUNDINGS AND RATHER LOW WBZ IMPLIES ANY STORMS WHICH DO DVLP COULD BECOME SVR WITH >3/4 DIAMETER HAIL AND WIND GUSTS >50KT. HWVR GIVEN LIMITED MOISTURE KEPT POPS IN SCT RANGE AND DROPPED TSTM POPS NW BEHIND THE FRONT LATE TONIGHT. STRONG CAA WL OVERSPREAD THE AREA TOMORROW AS UPR LOW OVER SE CANADA MOVES SOUTH INTO THE GRTLKS AND SFC HIGH BUILDS INTO THE MS VALLEY. THIS WILL RESULT IN DRY CONDITIONS WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPS MON-MON NGT. LONG TERM... TUE-SUNDAY... SHRTWV STILL EXPECTED TO ROTATE AROUND THE UPPER LOW ACROSS THE GRTLKS TUE. GOING POPS RETAINED ACROSS NE WHERE BETTER MOISTURE WILL REMAIN. UPR LOW WILL SLOWLY FILL AND LIFT NE MID-LATE WEEK RESULTING IN A SLOW WARMING TREND. MODELS INDICATING WK SHRTWVS WILL TOP WRN RIDGE PSBLY BRINGING SOME SHOWERS/TSTMS BACK INTO THE AREA AROUND FRI AND SUNDAY. SGFNT TIMING DIFFERENCES REMAIN IN MODELS WITH BOTH SYSTEMS...FOR NOW JUST ADDED POPS FOR FRI AFTN. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 136 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008/ AVIATION... CDFNT OVER WI/IA THIS AFTN EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH NRN INDIANA TONIGHT. SCT TSRA EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG/AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS AFTN AND CONT OVERNIGHT WITH STORMS MOVING THROUGH THE NRN INDIANA TERMINALS LATE THIS AFTN AND THIS EVE. RELATIVELY DRY BELOW CLOUD AIR AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT WILL RESULT IN GUSTY WINDS ACCOMPANYING THE STORMS. BEHIND THE FRONT SHOULD SEE DECREASING CLOUDS AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN. GOOD MIXING WITH FAIRLY TIGHT GRADIENT AND COLD AIR ALOFT WILL RESULT IN RATHER GUSTY WINDS BY LATE MONDAY MORNING. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && JT
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 15, 9:58 AM EST, 6 hours 14 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 1058 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008 INZ004>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ078>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-161500- ST. JOSEPH IN-ELKHART-LAGRANGE-STEUBEN-NOBLE-DE KALB-STARKE-PULASKI- MARSHALL-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO-WHITLEY-ALLEN IN-WHITE-CASS IN-MIAMI- WABASH-HUNTINGTON-WELLS-ADAMS-GRANT-BLACKFORD-JAY-CASS MI- ST. JOSEPH MI-BRANCH-HILLSDALE-WILLIAMS-FULTON OH-DEFIANCE-HENRY- PAULDING-PUTNAM-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SOUTH BEND...MISHAWAKA...ELKHART... GOSHEN...LAGRANGE...TOPEKA...ANGOLA...KENDALLVILLE...LIGONIER... AUBURN...GARRETT...KNOX...NORTH JUDSON...WINAMAC...FRANCESVILLE... PLYMOUTH...BREMEN...ROCHESTER...WARSAW...WINONA LAKE... COLUMBIA CITY...SOUTH WHITLEY...FORT WAYNE...MONTICELLO... BROOKSTON...LOGANSPORT...PERU...WABASH...NORTH MANCHESTER... HUNTINGTON...BLUFFTON...OSSIAN...DECATUR...BERNE...MARION... HARTFORD CITY...MONTPELIER...PORTLAND...DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS... STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...COLDWATER...HILLSDALE...BRYAN...WAUSEON... ARCHBOLD...DEFIANCE...NAPOLEON...PAULDING...ANTWERP...OTTAWA... PANDORA...VAN WERT...DELPHOS...LIMA 1058 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008 /958 AM CDT SUN JUN 15 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY ACROSS NORTHEAST AREAS. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH STORMS ON TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX INZ003-LMZ043-046-MIZ077-161500- LA PORTE-NEW BUFFALO MI TO ST JOSEPH MI- MICHIGAN CITY IN TO NEW BUFFALO MI-BERRIEN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MICHIGAN CITY...LA PORTE...NILES... BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN 1058 AM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008 /958 AM CDT SUN JUN 15 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. HIGH WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE LAKE MICHIGAN BEACHES THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY ACROSS NORTHEAST AREAS. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH STORMS ON TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX
In the hours before
Local storm report, Jun 15, 3:59 PM EST, 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
459 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0458 PM HAIL 1 NE MISHAWAKA 41.68N 86.15W
06/15/2008 E1.75 INCH ST. JOSEPH IN PUBLIC
HAIL RANGED IN SIZE FROM QUARTER TO GOLFBALL
&&
EVENT NUMBER 01490
MCSLocal storm report, Jun 15, 4:04 PM EST, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
504 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0503 PM HAIL 2 S GRANGER 41.71N 86.14W
06/15/2008 E1.25 INCH ST. JOSEPH IN AMATEUR RADIO
&&
EVENT NUMBER 01491
LWFLocal storm report, Jun 15, 4:06 PM EST, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
506 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0506 PM HAIL SIMONTON LAKE 41.75N 85.97W
06/15/2008 E0.25 INCH ELKHART IN AMATEUR RADIO
&&
EVENT NUMBER 01493
LWFLocal storm report, Jun 15, 4:09 PM EST, 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
509 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0509 PM HAIL ELKHART 41.69N 85.97W
06/15/2008 E0.70 INCH ELKHART IN AMATEUR RADIO
&&
EVENT NUMBER 01494
LWFLocal storm report, Jun 15, 4:11 PM EST, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
511 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0511 PM HAIL ELKHART 41.69N 85.97W
06/15/2008 E0.25 INCH ELKHART IN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER 01495
LWFLocal storm report, Jun 15, 4:12 PM EST, 0 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
512 PM EDT SUN JUN 15 2008
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0510 PM HAIL ELKHART 41.69N 85.97W
06/15/2008 M0.70 INCH ELKHART IN TRAINED SPOTTER
HAIL SIZE RANGED BETWEEN PEA AND DIME SIZE. ALSO 50 MPH
WIND GUSTS.
&&
EVENT NUMBER 01496
MCSThe radar
The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:12 UTC.
Event by event
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, St. Joseph
- When
- June 15, 4:26 PM EST to 4:27 PM EST
- Where
- St. Joseph County, 0.69 mi N of Colon
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.960, -85.320
Hail, St. Joseph
- When
- June 15, 4:34 PM EST to 4:35 PM EST
- Where
- St. Joseph County, 1.47 mi NNW of Wasepi
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.950, -85.460
Thunderstorm Wind, Branch
- When
- June 15, 5:12 PM EST to 5:13 PM EST
- Where
- Branch County, 0.69 mi S of Coldwater
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 41.940, -85.000
Emergency management officials reported numerous trees and power lines down across the county.
Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale
- When
- June 15, 5:22 PM EST to 5:23 PM EST
- Where
- Hillsdale County, 0.52 mi E of Waldron
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 41.720, -84.420
Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down in and around the Waldron area.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, June 15, 2008
- Lightning Strike in Florida, June 15, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, June 15, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, June 15, 2008
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, June 15, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, June 15, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, June 15, 2008
- Hail in Kansas, June 15, 2008
- Hail in Nebraska, June 15, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 15 to 16, 2008
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, June 15, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 15, 2008
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, June 2008
Sources
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: 107492, 107487, 107488, 107491, 107490.