A strong pressure gradient developed across the Great Lakes, causing strong northwesterly winds and an increased risk of rip currents across far southeastern Lake Michigan. At least one rip current developed, this one being at a private beach in Chikaming Township, near Harbert in Berrien County.
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 IWX wrote it up.
A strong pressure gradient developed across the Great Lakes, causing strong northwesterly winds and an increased risk of rip currents across far southeastern Lake Michigan. At least one rip current developed, this one being at a private beach in Chikaming Township, near Harbert in Berrien County.
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 Aug 15, 1:51 PM EST, 10 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 251 PM EDT SUN AUG 15 2010 .SHORT TERM... TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT... COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH ISOLATED CONVECTION DEVELOPING IN EASTERN CWA AHEAD OF APPROACHING FRONT. WILL NEED A PRE-FIRST PERIOD GROUP TO HANDLE CURRENT WATCH IN EFFECT OTHERWISE FOCUS WILL BE ON COOLER AND MUCH DRIER AIRMASS BUILDING INTO THE REGION. WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWING DEEP CYCLONIC CIRCULATION ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER VORTEX IN NORTHERN ONTARIO. ASSOCIATED SFC LOW WILL BECOME MORE OCCLUDED WITH TIME AS THIS SYSTEM WRAPS UP INTO HUDSON BAY. THIS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR HIGH PRESSURE CURRENTLY BUILDING INTO MONTANA TO PROGRESS EASTWARD INTO OUR AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. LEADING EDGE OF THIS AIRMASS ALREADY FEATURING DEWPOINTS IN THE 50S OVER SOUTHERN WI AND NORTHERN IL. EXPECT THIS DRYING TREND TO CONTINUE WITH THIS PATTERN THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AND WOULD FAVOR THE LOWER DEWPOINTS AND TEMPS OFFERED BY GUIDANCE FOR MONDAY NIGHT AND HAVE TRENDED ACCORDINGLY.&& .LONG TERM... TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL TROF WILL GRADUALLY DEVELOP AND BECOME MORE AMPLIFIED ON THE WEST CONUS COAST ACCORDING TO THE LATEST GFS AND GFS ENSEMBLES. TELECONNECTIONS SUPPORT A DOWNSTREAM RIDGE TRYING TO BUILD OVER THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THIS DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE BULK OF THE GFS AND CANADIAN 500 MB ANALOG SIGNALS. THERE IS SOME SUPPORT FOR A SHORT WAVE EJECTING EAST OUT OF THE MAIN TROF LATE WEDNESDAY AND REACHING THE MIDWEST LATE IN THE WEEK. THE EARLIER GFS ENSEMBLES WERE NOT VERY BULLISH ON THIS SOLUTION...HOWEVER...THE 12Z OPERATIONAL GFS RUN ALONG WITH THE 00Z ECMWF RUN ALSO SUPPORTED THIS SOLUTION OF A TROF REACHING THE AREA ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHT. FURTHERMORE...IT LOOKS LIKE MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF A TROPICAL SYSTEM SHOULD REACH THE AREA LATE IN THE WEEK. THEREFORE...HAVE ADDED A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...KEPT THE REST OF THIS PERIOD DRY. HAVE REJECTED THE NAM/WRF THAT EJECTS A WAVE ALONG THE FRONT INTO INDIANA WEDNESDAY. THIS SOLUTION HAS NOT BEEN CONSISTENT WITH EARLIER PREVIOUS RECENT SOLUTIONS. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...FAVOR THE WARMER OPERATIONAL MEX OVER THE GFS MEAN ENSEMBLES GIVEN THE CURRENT WARM PATTERN. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS... ISOLATED CONVECTION BEGINNING TO BREAK OUT ALONG COLD FRONT AS IT APPROACHES KFWA. WILL INCLUDE ONE HOUR PERIOD OF VCTS TO COVER THIS THEN EXPECT BOTH SITES TO HAVE SCT/BKN DIURNAL CU REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON WITH BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND FRONT. DECOUPLING OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER THIS EVENING SHOULD ALLOW WINDS TO DIMINISH TO AROUND 5KTS. VFR WITH CLEAR SKIES REMAINDER OF TAF PERIOD. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT MONDAY FOR LMZ043-046. && SHORT TERM...LOGSDON LONG TERM...SKIPPER AVIATION...LOGSDON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 428 AM EDT SUN AUG 15 2010 INZ004>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ078>081-OHZ001-002-004-005- 015-016-024-025-160830- 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 428 AM EDT SUN AUG 15 2010 /328 AM CDT SUN AUG 15 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OHIO... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG A COLD FRONT AS IT MOVES EAST ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS THIS AFTERNOON EAST OF A HILLSDALE MICHIGAN TO MARION INDIANA LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA 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-MIZ077-160830- 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 428 AM EDT SUN AUG 15 2010 /328 AM CDT SUN AUG 15 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF SOUTHEASTERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING. THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE BERRIEN AND LAPORTE COUNTY SHORELINES TONIGHT AND A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE LAKE MICHIGAN NEARSHORE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE BERRIEN AND LAPORTE COUNTY SHORELINES MONDAY AND A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE LAKE MICHIGAN NEARSHORE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES...OR CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/IWX
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
826 PM EDT SUN AUG 15 2010
OHZ024-025-160130-
ALLEN OH-VAN WERT OH-
826 PM EDT SUN AUG 15 2010
AT 823 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING NEAR OHIO CITY...OR 9 MILES SOUTH OF
VAN WERT...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE WIND GUSTS UP TO
45 MPH.
LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
LIMA AND FORT SHAWNEE...
BLUFFTON...
SPENCERVILLE...
ELIDA...
MONTICELLO...
GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL BRANCHES TO BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOOSE
OBJECTS TO BLOW AROUND. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS
TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS
PASSED.
LAT...LON 4064 8387 4066 8420 4068 8421 4069 8444
4073 8444 4072 8466 4077 8465 4086 8414
4086 8411 4086 8410 4090 8387
TIME...MOT...LOC 0023Z 273DEG 33KT 4074 84501 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A 9 year old boy and his father were swimming at a private beach when the rip current took both away from shore. The father was able to escape, but the boy went underwater and remained there for 20 to 25 minutes. He was rescued but attempts to revive him failed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rip Current, Berrien | 2010-08-16 | 9 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, August 2010
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: 246839.