Hail, Iron
- When
- April 24, 6:45 PM CST to 6:48 PM CST
- Where
- Iron County, 0.48 mi W of Stager
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 46.000, -88.330
Hail lasted about three minutes. No strong winds were observed.
Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, April 24, 2009
A sharp cold front moving through an unstable airmass produced a few severe thunderstorms over western Upper Michigan on the evening of the 24th.
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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
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 MQT wrote it up.
A sharp cold front moving through an unstable airmass produced a few severe thunderstorms over western Upper Michigan on the evening of the 24th.
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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 24, 2:25 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 24, 2:25 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 425 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND SATURDAY)... UPPER AIR PATTERN CONSISTS OF A 500 MB TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND INTO NORTHERN CA AND THERE ALSO IS A SHORTWAVE OVER LOWER MI AS WELL. NAM SHOWS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TROUGH MOVING INTO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES ON SAT. 850-500 MB Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE MOVES THROUGH TONIGHT ALONG WITH DEEPER MOISTURE WHICH BOTH MOVE OUT LATE SAT. GFS SHOWS ABOUT THE SAME THING AS WELL. FOR TONIGHT...LOOKS LIKE CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN ELEVATED IN NATURE TONIGHT AND ALSO FOR SATURDAY. NOT REAL IMPRESSED WITH SEVERE POTENTIAL BASED ON BOUNDARY LAYER AS CONVECTION WILL BE ELEVATED. ONLY THING TO WATCH WOULD BE FOR LARGE HAIL. BASICALLY...DID NOT MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST. DID ADD FOG TO THE LAKE ESPECIALLY IF IT RAINS. COLD WATER WITH WARM AIR FLOWING OVER THE TOP SPELLS A RECIPE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FOG ON THE LAKE AND THIS IS THE PERFECT REGIME TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. DID NOT MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES EITHER. KEPT MENTION OF SNOW IN THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NORTH AND WEST AS WELL WITH COLD ENOUGH AIR AROUND TO KEEP THE POSSIBILITY IN. ANY SNOW THAT DOES FALL THOUGH SHOULD NOT BE TOO SIGNIFICANT AS DEEPER MOISTURE WILL ALREADY BE WELL OFF TO THE SOUTH AND EAST BY THAT TIME. ONE CHANGE I DID THOUGH IS START TO BRING IN DRIER WEATHER WITH BUILDING SFC HIGH IN FOR SATURDAY AND PUSHED POPS TO THE EAST AND SOUTH A BIT QUICKER. && .LONG TERM (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)... MUCH OF THIS PERIOD CAN BE DESCRIBED AS UNSETTLED...WITH A TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES...AND RIDGING OVER THE EAST/SOUTHEAST. THIS SHOULD BRING STORM SYSTEMS FROM THE CENTRAL STATES THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. THE MAIN SYSTEM OF NOTE WILL BE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...AND THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY (MAINLY TO OUR SOUTH). THE NORTHERN STREAM OF THE TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST/CENTRAL MONTANA WILL SHIFT TO LAKE SUPERIOR BY 00Z SUNDAY...WITH THE MAIN LOW STUCK OVER THE NORTHERN CANADIAN PROVINCES. DRY AIR WILL BE ABLE TO SLIDE IN SATURDAY NIGHT...BRIEFLY...ALLOWING TEMPS TO FALL NEAR OR JUST BELOW FREEZING. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON A SIZABLE RIDGE WILL INTENSIFY...WITH THE RIDGE AXIS SET UP THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. THIS RIDGE WILL BE STRENGTHENED IN RESPONSE TO A TRANSIENT TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES. SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN STEADY...WITH PLENTY OF CLOUDS ON SSW WINDS...AND 850MB TEMPERATURES GOING STAYING AROUND 11C ALL NIGHT CENTRAL AND EAST. THE 24/06Z GFS PLACED 0.5-0.8 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FROM IMT THROUGH MQT AND EAST BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z SUNDAY. THIS WAS NOT BACKED BY THE NAM OR REGWRF...WHICH WERE DRY. THE 24/00Z ECMWF BACKS UP THE LOWER PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS OF THE NAM...WITH THE UKMET BEING IN THE MIDDLE...WITH ABOUT 0.5 INCH LIQUID THROUGH 00Z MONDAY. THE 24/12Z GFS CAME IN WITH A MUCH DRIER SCENARIO...BACKING DOWN TO AROUND 0.20 OR LESS OVER THE FRINGE WEST AND SOUTHERN COUNTIES. WILL SLOW DOWN THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION...AND GO MIDDLE OF THE ROAD...SINCE THE LATEST GFS IS HEDGING IN THAT DIRECTION. OTHER THAN SOME SMALLER SCALE DIFFERENCES MONDAY...WITH SPECIFIC SHORTWAVES...MODELS LOOK TO BE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT. THE FORECAST LOOKS TO BECOME MORE UNCERTAIN THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...SPECIFICALLY IN THE HANDLING OF THE CUT OFF LOW OVER THE WESTERN STATES. THE 24/00Z ECMWF LOOKED TO BE THE MOST PROGRESSIVE...WEAKENING THE SYSTEM AND ALLOWING FOR MORE WEST TO EAST MOVEMENT...WHILE THE GFS AND CANADIAN KEEP A CUT OFF LOW SPINNING OVER IDAHO...WYOMING...AND MONTANA. IN GENERAL...HPC GUIDANCE FAVORED THE LASS VARIABLE ECMWF...WITH A INCREASING BLEND OF ITS ENSEMBLE MEANS THROUGH FRIDAY. && .AVIATION (FOR THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE)... VFR CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE AS A COLD FRONT MOVES TRHOUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. AFTER IT PASSES THROUGH...A PERIOD OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH IFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING QUICKLY AFTER FROPA. KEPT MENTION OF THUNDER WITH A CB FOR SAW TONIGHT. CONDITIONS LATE SAT MORNING WILL START TO PIMPROVE AS THE RAIN MOVES OUT. && .MARINE (FOR THE 4 PM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE)... MULTIPLE STRONG WIND ESPISODES POSSIBLE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WINDS SHIFT TO THE NE THIS EVENING BEHIND A COLD FRONT WITH 30 KT WINDS LIKELY. AFTER A BRIEF LULL SAT AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS...WINDS BECOME E/SE AND COULD APPROACH 30 KT YET AGAIN SUN AS LOW PRESSURE OVR THE PLAINS LIFTS TOWARD THE AREA. MODELS HAVE TRENDED FARTHER WEST WITH THE SYSTEM...SO WINDS SHOULD BECOME MORE SRLY AS LOW LIFTS ACROSS LK SUPERIOR SUN NIGHT. LOW LIFTS INTO QUEBEC MON WITH STRONGER WRLY WINDS POSSIBLE. WINDS SETTLE DOWN BLO 30 KT MONDAY NIGHT AS A RIDGE BUILDS IN. && .HYDROLOGY (ISSUED AT 415 PM FRIDAY)... AFTER A RATHER DRY DAY...WITH MAINLY SPRINKLES OR PEA SIZE HAIL AT A FEW LOCATIONS...A WET NIGHT AND SATURDAY ARE FIGURED. EXPECT ABOUT 0.5 INCHES CWA WIDE...TOTAL FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. AFTER ANOTHER BRIEF DRY PERIOD SATURDAY NIGHT...WET WEATHER IS FIGURED SUNDAY THROUGH MID MONDAY...WITH HALF AN INCH OVER THE CENTRAL CWA AND AOA 0.75 FAR EAST AND OVER THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA. HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE UNDER HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. PLEASE SEE LATEST ESF PRODUCT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON POTENTIAL FOR RIVER FLOODING. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...07 LONG TERM...KF AVIATION...07 MARINE...07 HYDROLOGY...KF
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 24, 2:00 PM CST, 4 hours 45 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 400 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-251200- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 400 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 /300 PM CDT FRI APR 24 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE TONIGHT. A FEW OF THE STORMS LATE TODAY AND THIS EVENING COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE WISCONSIN BORDER. ANY STORMS THROUGH TONIGHT MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY MORNING...MAINLY EAST OF A LINE FROM NORWAY TO GRAND MARAIS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. PERIODS OF RAIN THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...COMBINED WITH A MELTING SNOW...WILL CAUSE WATER LEVELS ON RIVERS AND STREAMS TO RISE. ALSO...EXPECT PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MARQUETTE. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-251200- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO GRAND PORTAGE MN BEYOND 5NM-SAXON HARBOR WI TO BLACK RIVER MI- BLACK RIVER TO ONTONAGON MI- ONTONAGON TO UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO EAGLE RIVER MI- EAGLE RIVER TO MANITOU ISLAND MI- MANITOU ISLAND TO POINT ISABELLE MI- POINT ISABELLE TO LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO HURON ISLANDS MI INCLUDING KEWEENAW AND HURON BAYS-HURON ISLANDS TO MARQUETTE MI- MARQUETTE TO MUNISING MI-MUNISING TO GRAND MARAIS MI- GRAND MARAIS TO WHITEFISH POINT MI- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER INCLUDING ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL TO MANITOU ISLAND MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR EAST OF A LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO WHITEFISH POINT MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- 400 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 /300 PM CDT FRI APR 24 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY MORNING....AND AGAIN LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-251200- GREEN BAY NORTH OF LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-SEUL CHOIX POINT TO POINT DETOUR MI- 5NM EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRPORT MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE- 400 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT. THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY...AND ONCE AGAIN SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. KF
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 24, 5:38 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 738 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 MIZ001-003-250030- KEWEENAW-NORTHERN HOUGHTON- 738 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR HOUGHTON AND KEWEENAW COUNTIES UNTIL 830 PM EDT... AT 737 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTH OF REDRIDGE...OR 12 MILES WEST OF CALUMET. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. PEOPLE IN NORTHEASTERN HOUGHTON AND SOUTHERN KEWEENAW COUNTIES... INCLUDING THE CITIES OF MOHAWK...EAGLE RIVER...PHOENIX...LAC LA BELLE AND COPPER HARBOR...SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. PEARSON
Special weather statement, Apr 24, 6:01 PM CST, 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 801 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 MIZ001>003-009-084-250230- GOGEBIC-KEWEENAW-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-ONTONAGON-SOUTHERN HOUGHTON- 801 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR GOGEBIC...HOUGHTON...KEWEENAW AND ONTONAGON COUNTIES UNTIL 1030 PM EDT/930 PM CDT/... AT 856 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 17 MILES NORTH OF BESSEMER TO PARK FALLS. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 65 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE... COPPER PEAK... BESSEMER... THOMASTON... WAKEFIELD... CLARK LAKE... PRESQUE ISLE RESERVOIR... THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. PEARSON
Local storm report, Apr 24, 6:12 PM CST, 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
812 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0802 PM HAIL ESE EAGLE RIVER 47.41N 88.29W
04/24/2009 E0.25 INCH KEWEENAW MI TRAINED SPOTTER
0803 PM HAIL EAGLE HARBOR 47.46N 88.16W
04/24/2009 E0.25 INCH KEWEENAW MI TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PEARSONLocal storm report, Apr 24, 6:16 PM CST, 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI
816 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0814 PM HAIL LAURIUM 47.24N 88.44W
04/24/2009 E0.25 INCH HOUGHTON MI TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PEARSONThe radar
The Marquette radar (KMQT), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:44 UTC.
Event by event
4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Dickinson
- When
- April 24, 7:18 PM CST to 7:20 PM CST
- Where
- Dickinson County, 0.84 mi NW of Randville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 45.990, -88.060
Hail, Ontonagon
- When
- April 24, 8:50 PM EST to 8:55 PM EST
- Where
- Ontonagon County, 4.31 mi E of Wood Spur
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 46.810, -89.180
Hail was two inches deep covering the ground.
Thunderstorm Wind, Houghton
- When
- April 24, 9:08 PM EST to 9:10 PM EST
- Where
- Houghton County, Beacon Hill
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 47.130, -88.820
Wind gust was from the southwest.
Hail, Houghton
- When
- April 24, 9:24 PM EST to 9:26 PM EST
- Where
- Houghton County, 0.94 mi E of Calumet
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 47.250, -88.450
Thunderstorm Wind, Houghton
- When
- April 24, 9:24 PM EST to 9:27 PM EST
- Where
- Houghton County, 0.84 mi NE of Laurium
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 47.240, -88.440
Power lines were down in Laurium with no power in the city.
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
- Rip Current in Florida, April 24, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, April 24 to 25, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, April 24, 2009
- Lightning Strike in North Carolina, April 24, 2009
- Hail in North Carolina, April 24, 2009
- Hail in Wisconsin, April 24, 2009
- Hail in New York, April 24, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, April 24, 2009
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, April 24, 2009
- Hail in Wisconsin, April 24, 2009
- Hail in Minnesota, April 24, 2009
- Hail in Iowa, April 24, 2009
More
Every storm in Michigan in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 2009
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: 165178, 165179, 165183, 165187, 165189, 165191.