High Wind in Michigan, October 6 to 7, 2009

Name: High Wind in Michigan, October 6 to 7, 2009
Start: 2009-10-06T16:00
End: 2009-10-07T06:00
Location: Michigan

October 6 to 7, 2009 · NWS GRR · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong fall low pressure system brought high wind gusts, particularly along the Lake Michigan shoreline where a measured peak wind gust of 62 mph was recorded at the South Haven coastal GLERL observation station. A peak wind gust of 61 mph was recorded at the Muskegon coastal GLERL observation station.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 GRR wrote it up.

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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 6, 3:15 PM EST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 6, 3:15 PM EST, 45 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 6, 5:13 AM EST, 10 hours 47 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
613 AM EDT TUE OCT 6 2009

MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-071000-
MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-
MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON-
INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON-
613 AM EDT TUE OCT 6 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE TODAY. SEVERE
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL FOLLOW
TONIGHT... WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE FROM THE WEST.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST WEDNESDAY MORNING BEFORE GRADUALLY
SUBSIDING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

LMZ844>849-071000-
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-
613 AM EDT TUE OCT 6 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

CONDITIONS ON LAKE MICHIGAN WILL DETERIORATE TODAY AS SOUTHERLY
WINDS INCREASE INTO THE 20 TO 30 KNOT RANGE WHICH WILL BUILD WAVES
INTO THE 3 TO 6 FOOT RANGE. WAVES WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS TO SMALL
CRAFT BY MIDDAY AND LAST INTO EARLY EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE TODAY. SEVERE
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

CONDITIONS WILL WORSEN RAPIDLY EARLY THIS EVENING AS WINDS SHIFT
TO THE WEST AND INCREASE TO 35 TO 45 KNOT GALES. WAVES TONIGHT
WILL BUILD INTO THE 12 TO 16 FOOT RANGE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

GALE FORCE WINDS AND WAVES OF 12 FEET OR MORE WILL PERSIST WEDNESDAY
MORNING BEFORE GRADUALLY SUBSIDING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

MEADE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 6, 3:23 PM EST, 37 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Ottawa

When: October 6, 4:00 PM EST to October 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 43.003, -86.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A peak wind gust of 62 mph was measured at the South Haven GLERL coastal observation site and 61 mph at Muskegon. Interpolation of this data suggests that peak wind gusts reached at least 60 mph across portions of Ottawa county. This resulted in loss of power to nearly 6,000 people in Ottawa county.

High Wind, Muskegon

When: October 6, 4:00 PM EST to October 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Muskegon forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 43.219, -86.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A peak wind gust of 61 mph was measured at the Muskegon GLERL coastal observation site. Nearly 7,000 people across Muskegon county lost power as a result.

High Wind, Van Buren

When: October 6, 5:00 PM EST to October 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 42.285, -86.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A peak wind gust of 62 mph was measured at the South Haven GLERL coastal observation site. Several hundred people across the county lost power as a result.

High Wind, Allegan

When: October 6, 5:00 PM EST to October 7, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Allegan forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 42.518, -85.910 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A peak wind gust of 62 mph was measured at the South Haven GLERL coastal observation site and 61 mph at Muskegon. Interpolation of this data suggests that peak wind gusts reached at least 60 mph across portions of Allegan county. Approximately 3,400 people across Allegan county lost power as a result.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Michigan, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 197990, 197991, 197987, 197988.