One round of strong to severe storms impacted far southern lower Michigan during the mid to late afternoon hours of July 22nd, resulting in several reports of downed trees and power lines. The most extensive damage occurred over southwestern Gull Lake in northeastern Kalamazoo county, where a microburst produced winds up to around 75 mph that brought down numerous large trees.
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.
One round of strong to severe storms impacted far southern lower Michigan during the mid to late afternoon hours of July 22nd, resulting in several reports of downed trees and power lines. The most extensive damage occurred over southwestern Gull Lake in northeastern Kalamazoo county, where a microburst produced winds up to around 75 mph that brought down numerous large trees.
Another round of strong to severe storms moved through during the mid to late evening hours, resulting in continuous lightning, wind damage and there was also an isolated and very brief and weak EF-0 tornado in Allegan 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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 22, 12:00 PM EST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 100 PM EDT THU JUL 22 2010 LATEST UPDATE...AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS...(414 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010) WE/RE HEADING INTO AN ACTIVE PERIOD WHERE WE WILL SEE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH SATURDAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AND SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. A VERY HOT AND HUMID DAY IS EXPECTED FRIDAY BEFORE WE COOL OFF A BIT BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. && .SHORT TERM...(1118 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010) (TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY) FORECAST CONCERNS ARE NUMEROUS AND DEAL WITH SVR STORM CHANCES...HEAVY RAIN...AND HIGH HEAT INDICES. THE SHORT RANGE MODELS ARE DOING A DECENT JOB WITH THE OVERALL UPPER AIR PATTERN BUT AS USUAL DIFFER A BIT WITH THE DETAILS NEAR THE SFC. THE UPPER RIDGE OVER US IS GOING TO FLATTEN A BIT BEGINNING TODAY ALLOWING SYSTEM TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES. THE DECAYING MCS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST LOWER MI THIS AFTERNOON. I HAVE RAISED THE RISK FOR RAIN AND LOWERED TEMPERATURES FOR THE AFTERNOON. A FAIRLY STRONG WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH INTO THE CWA LATER THIS EVENING. SHEAR VALUES AROUND 50KTS ARE PROGD ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT WHICH SHOULD STRETCH FROM NEAR GRAND HAVEN TO LANSING BY LATE IN THE DAY. INSTABILITY MAY BE ON THE WEAK SIDE THOUGH AS LI/S ARE ONLY PROGD TO BE NEAR -1C. THAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE OVERCOME BY THE APPROACHING SHORT WAVE. THE WRF SHOWS REDEVELOPMENT OVER WISCONSIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON CLOSER TO THE TRIPLE POINT AND THEN MOVES ENE INTO LOWER MI. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA TODAY INTO TONIGHT. THAT/S WHERE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE IS THE STRONGEST. THE TREND OF THE MODELS HAS BEEN TO PUSH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY INTO NRN LWR. IF THIS OCCURS... THEN WE MAY BE IN FOR A LULL IN THE PCPN FROM LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. FRIDAY WILL BE RATHER HOT AND HUMID. WE MAY NEED A HEAT ADVISORY AS HEAT INDICES ARE PROGD AOA 100 ACROSS THE SRN CWA DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF HIGHS AROUND 90 AND DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S. A SHARP UPPER TROUGH WILL APPROACH SATURDAY. THE SFC LOW ASSOCIATED WITH IT WILL RIDE EAST ALONG THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND STORMS IS EXPECTED BY THE AFTERNOON AS THE TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVES INTO A VERY HUMID AIRMASS. SATURDAY AFTERNOON MAY BE OUR BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR SVR STORMS AS EXTREME INSTABILITY IS PROGD WITH LI/S NEAR -8C ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA. LIFT FROM THE COLD FRONT AND SUPPORT BY THE LLJ...ESPECIALLY IN THE ERN CWA...WILL ACT ON SHEAR VALUES AROUND 45KTS TO PRODUCE ORGANIZED STORMS. MOST OF LWR MI IS IN A SLIGHT RISK SATURDAY. ONCE AGAIN MOISTURE TRANSPORT VECTORS ARE LARGE AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE. && .LONG TERM...(414 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010) (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) THERE IS VERY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT FOR OF THIS PART OF THE FORECAST. THAT IS IN TERMS OF RUN TO RUN AND MODEL TO MODEL. SO MY CONFIDENCE IN THIS FORECAST IS HIGHER THEN USUAL. THE OVERALL NEAR ZONAL PATTERN OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET ACROSS THEN NORTHERN UNITED STATES AND SOUTHERN CANADA WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...THANKS TO THE SYSTEM CURRENTLY OVER THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN AND A SYSTEM NORTH OF IT NEAR THE NORTH POLE THAT ROTATES SOUTHEAST BEHIND THE ALEUTIAN SYSTEM EARLY NEXT WEEK... THE POLAR JET CORE DOES LIFT SLIGHTLY NORTH INTO SOUTHERN CANADA IN THE SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY TIME FRAME. AT THAT POINT THE SYSTEM CURRENTLY OVER THE ALEUTIANS REACHES THE MEAN LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN SEABOARD. IT THEN DIGS SOUTHEAST INTO NEW YORK STATE AND NEW ENGLAND. THAT ONCE AGAIN BRINGS THE FRONTAL ZONE BACK INTO THE GREAT LAKES. OVERALL THIS MEANS MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. IN THE WEDNESDAY TIME FRAME THE DIGGING SYSTEM FROM ALEUTIANS WILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BRING SOME DYNAMICS INTO THE PICTURE AND RETURN THE THREAT FOR STORMS TO THE SOUTHWEST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN. IT WOULD SEEM MOST OF THE BETTER PRECIPITATION SHOULD STAY FARTHER NORTH... CLOSER TO THE POLAR JET. WE HAVE TIME TO WATCH HOW THIS PLAYS OUT THROUGH. && .AVIATION...(100 PM EDT THU JUL 22 2010) A LARGE AREA OF RAIN OVER SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL LAKE MI WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND SHOULD IMPACT ALL THE TAF SITES THIS AFTN. A COUPLE OF WEAK ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOTED ESE OF MILWAUKEE... BUT THEY WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AS THEY DRIFT FURTHER TO THE EAST DUE TO THE LACK OF INSTABILITY ACROSS OUR AREA. HOWEVER CONDITIONS SHOULD GRADUALLY TRANSITION FROM VFR INTO THE MVFR FLIGHT CATEGORY AT ALL TAF SITES THIS AFTN AND EVE AS RAIN AND LOWER CLOUDS MOVE IN. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS THE NOCTURNAL LOW LEVEL JET KICKS IN AND MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY RAMP UP. FOR NOW WE WILL HAVE TSTORMS FCST IN THE VICINITY OF ALL TAF SITES IN THIS TIME FRAME. MAINLY MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT ALL TAF SITES OVERNIGHT... BUT BRIEF REDUCTIONS INTO THE IFR OR LIFR FLIGHT CATEGORY ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS WITH POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. THERE SHOULD BE A LULL IN RAIN AND TSTORM ACTIVITY LATER FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE INSTABILITY REALLY RAMPS UP FRIDAY AFTERNOON. && .MARINE...(1118 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010) BASED ON THE INCREASING WINDS AND WAVES TONIGHT...WENT WITH A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...THAT WILL LAST INTO FRI AFTERNOON. WINDS AND WAVES LIKELY TO BE HAZARDOUS FOR SMALL CRAFT PLUS CURRENTS STRONGER DUE TO THESE CONDITIONS. SO RIP CURRENT RISK LIKELY TO BE HIGH. && .HYDROLOGY...(414 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010) AS PWATS CLIMB UP NEAR 2.5 INCHES...THE HEAVY RAIN THREAT WILL INCREASE. ANY OF THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI....NONE. LM....SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LATER TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. && SYNOPSIS: 93 SHORT TERM: 93/MJS LONG TERM: WDM AVIATION: LAURENS MARINE: MJS HYDROLOGY: 93
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1100 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-230915- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 1100 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK A FEW STORMS COULD GET CLOSE TO SEVERE LIMITS DURING THE EARLY EVENING AS THE WARM FRONT PUSHES INTO THE AREA. THIS WOULD MOSTLY BE IN THE FORM OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WOULD ACTUALLY BE NEAR AND NORTH OF ROUTE 10 BETWEEN 6 PM AND ABOUT MIDNIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THAT AREA. LOCALIZED FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS WOULD BE THE LARGEST HAZARD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY BUT THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BE STALLED OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN DURING FRIDAY. THE CLOSER ONE GETS TO THE FRONT FRIDAY... THE HIGHER THE CHANCES OF SEEING A THUNDERSTORM. IT WOULD NOT BE OUT OF THE QUESTION AN ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUST WOULD OCCUR FROM THE STRONGEST STORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WOULD NOT BE A WIDESPREAD EVENT. MOST LOCATIONS MAY NOT EVEN SEE RAIN FRIDAY DURING THE DAY. HOWEVER WITH THE WARM FRONT NORTH OF ROUTE 10 FRIDAY HOT AND HUMID AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE NEAR 90 DEGREES AND WITH DEW POINTS IN THE MID 70S THE HEAT INDEX VALUES COULD REACH INTO THE DANGER CATEGORY... OVER 100 DEGREE FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THIS WOULD INCREASE THE RISK OF HEAT STROKE FOR ANYONE HAVING TO WORK OUTSIDE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT SATURDAY EVENING WILL TOUCH OFF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. DAMAGING WINDS... VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH LOCAL FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS BEING POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY. LMZ844>849-230915- 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- 1100 AM EDT THU JUL 22 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDS WILL BECOME STRONG OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS MAY LEAD TO WAVE HEIGHTS BEING HAZARDOUS TO SMALL WATER CRAFT AND INCREASE THE THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NEAR SHORE WATERS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE FRIDAY AFTERNOON HOWEVER UNTIL THEN WINDS AND WAVES MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BE A HAZARD TO SMALL WATER CRAFT. AN INCREASED RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS WILL EXIST ON FRIDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TOO. THE PASSAGE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT SATURDAY EVENING IS EXPECTED TO TOUCH OFF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND INCREASED WAVE HEIGHTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY. WDM MJS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
247 PM EDT THU JUL 22 2010
MIZ064-221945-
ALLEGAN-
247 PM EDT THU JUL 22 2010
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
AT 244 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAUGATUCK...MOVING EAST AT
40 MPH.
WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
GANGES... SAUGATUCK STATE PARK...
DOUGLAS... GLENN... SAUGATUCK...
PULLMAN... FENNVILLE... HAMILTON...
BURNIPS... ALLEGAN... HOPKINS...
DORR... MOLINE... BRADLEY...
SHELBYVILLE...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS 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 4255 8625 4257 8624 4262 8625 4265 8624
4270 8622 4275 8558 4244 8566 4249 8626
TIME...MOT...LOC 1847Z 274DEG 33KT 4259 8631
TJTThe Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:58 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado, 1 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Allegan county emergency management reported that several trees were blown down from five miles southwest of Fennville off to the southeast to Pullman.
A National Weather Service storm survey team concluded that straight line winds around 65 mph lifted a corrugated roof nailed to a two by four wood frame over a double wide trailer near the intersection of 109th avenue and 37th street. Spotty tree damage was noted further east southeast across the remainder of Allegan county to near Doster.
Nickel sized hail and a measured wind gust to 59 mph was reported in Parchment.
A storm survey discovered several old trees that were blown down in Urbandale just to the northwest of Battle Creek. A Calhoun county emergency manager reported that numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Bedford. However the storm survey indicated no evidence of a tornado touchdown in Calhoun county.
An Allegan county emergency manager reported that power lines were blown down in Ganges.
A brief EF-0 tornado touched down five miles north northwest of Bloomingdale. No significant damage occurred.
Numerous trees and limbs were blown down five miles south southeast of Fennville and one and three quarters inch diameter hail was reported three miles southeast of Fennville.
A trained spotter reported a funnel cloud north northeast of Paw Paw.
Law enforcement reported that Allegan county dam road was washed out by heavy rain.
Power lines were blown down and a eight inch diameter tree was broken in half in Allegan.
A trained spotter four miles southeast of Battle Creek reported estimated wind gusts to 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 2010Warnings in Michigan, July 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: 245359, 245367, 245374, 245376, 245377, 245384, 245380, 245383, 245385, 245386, 245388.